The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2016 51 training program . . . [that] brings together theory and practices from neurobiology, conflict transformation, human security, spirituality and restorative justice to address the needs of trauma-impacted individuals and communities. STAR training sessions are multicultural, multifaith gatherings in which all are welcome to use the language of their own culture and faith tradi- tions. Openness, sensitivity and respect are encouraged.” George Mason University, the U.S. Institute of Peace and several other conflict-resolution institutions also offer programs that have been used successfully domestically and abroad to train social workers, emergency response personnel and others living and working in conflict situations. They give participants practi- cal tools to recognize and deal with the stressors in their lives and professional environments. The programs typically include information on how trauma affects the brain, body and behavior. They also provide an opportunity to practice emotional first aid, compassionate listening and transforming conflict nonviolently. STAR, or a program like it, could be tailored to fit the Foreign Service and embassy contexts. Adopting the program would require training facilitators who could carry the knowledge forward and disseminate it through embassy communities abroad. Additional material would be developed addressing the specific stressors of living and working in an embassy (e.g., how to nurture productive relationships with host-country nationals working in the embassy). To launch such a program, a pilot “country team” could be trained together. The key would be to capture the group as it cycles through its pre-deployment training at NFATC/FSI. Most State Department personnel are required to take the foreign lan- guage of their country of assignment prior to deploying; there- fore, they are already in class together for periods ranging from six months to two years. The trauma awareness training could be introduced as part of required training, just as security training and other country-specific courses are required. A key player in the establishment and maintenance of such a process would be the deputy chief of mission, who normally runs the embassy. Of course, a successful program would require the full-hearted sup- port of the ambassador at each mission. After the pilot group has been posted abroad and has worked together for a year or so, a training and evaluation team would be sent to evaluate how the group is managing in handling the stresses of living and working together. The evaluation team would visit again after another year. The trainers/evaluators could provide additional training to the original group and observe their facilitation of the country team in situ. Perhaps the program could be offered at the embassy at the same time as the annual Crisis Management Exercise in which each country teammust participate. Feedback from the visits could be used to inform Phase II, in which a second pilot embassy team is trained and prepared for deployment. Beyond observing the embassy country team pilot in its set- ting abroad, the master trainers would need to devise a moni- toring and evaluation instrument to assess whether the pilot is having the desired effect. Conclusion More than four decades ago, a USAID FSO named Barbara Dammarrel survived the April 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut. She later wrote a master’s thesis about her experiences with PTSD following that terrorist incident. In her study, she rec- ommended that the Department of State and the other foreign affairs agencies implement policy and procedures to prepare employees better for service in highly stressful situations. Today it is clear that repeated exposure to trauma in the Foreign Service and larger foreign affairs community has reached a crisis level that affects office colleagues, families, bilateral relations with certain countries and foreign policy writ large. Although State has taken some preliminary steps to deal with this complex problem, much more needs to be done. The Antares guidelines offer a blueprint for beginning to address some of the root causes of distress in the foreign affairs commu- nity. There are a number of trauma-informed training programs that could provide ideas for State to follow in providing better care. Additional programs to help employees manage stress would require additional resources that only Congress can provide. But the State Department should start planning for a baseline survey of all employees that can inform leadership about the extent of trauma in the foreign affairs community. It is high time to begin mainstreaming trauma awareness throughout the Foreign Service. n The programs give participants practical tools to recognize and deal with the stressors in their lives and professional environments.