King's professor presents at conference in Rwanda on the legacy of trauma

Professor Dermot Hurley, Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at King’s, travelled to Rwanda from May 30-June 2, 2019 to take part in the “Initiative of healing a society for better future generations.”  

Prof. Hurley delivered a keynote address on May 30 on “Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience” and, on May 31, led a workshop on “Working with Families in the Aftermath of Trauma.” In attendance were 60 professionals who provide therapeutic services to children and families in Rwanda presenting a range of clinical issues they are facing in dealing with the legacy of genocide. The presentations were part of a three-day conference, Initiative of healing a society for better future generations.” 

On June 2, at the invitation of Rwanda Neuro-Psychiatric Society, Prof. Hurley spoke on the topic of “Building Family Resilience” at a one-day conference in Kigali, attended by 300-400 members of the Rwandan public.

 “The importance of intergenerational trauma and promoting resilience cannot be over stated,” says Prof. Hurley.  “Rwandan families and communities were devastated by the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda. The family life cycle was profoundly and irreversibly disrupted by the loss of so many lives. I learned more about resilience from listening to stories of people who survived the genocide than from my own studies and research,” he says.

Prof. Hurley was part of a four-person Canadian mental health team who attended the conference. Other members of the team included:

• Dr. Randolph Goossen, Medical Director of Community Mental Health, University of Manitoba
• Dr. Elizabeth Hebert, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
• Dr. Jo Ann Unger, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

“Being part of a Canadian mental health team provided an opportunity to work closely with professionals in Rwanda who are dealing with the legacy of genocide.  The people I met and spoke with showed a remarkable capacity for resilience.  We were privileged to be part of this important work which will continue for many years to come,” says Prof. Hurley.

Prof. Hurley was invited to attend by Dr. Goossen, who worked with the Rwanda Neuro-Psychiatric Society (RNPS) and Humura Ministries Rwanda towards developing an Intergenerational Trauma Conference for clinical practitioners in Kigali dealing with the legacy of the Rwandan Genocide.

Prof. Hurley has been on a six-month sabbatical from King’s (January – July 2019) to study the role of resilience in mental health recovery. In addition to lecturing on the same topic at The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago, he was also involved in continuing research on resilience and mental health with colleagues in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For more information on the conference and workshops, please visit http://treasuresofrwanda.com/documents/Events.pdf.

At King’s, Prof. Hurley teaches the following courses:

• SW3302, Resiliency and Social Work (BSW)
• SW3316, Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families (BSW)
• SW4463, Social Work with Children and Adolescents (BSW)
• SW9801, Modern and Post Modern Social Work Direct Practice Theories