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Unisa teaches village how to heal
The Unisa Eastern Cape Region presented a hybrid Trauma Awareness and Healing Workshop on 17 October 2024 in Duncan Village, East London. The purpose of the workshop was to create awareness among the Duncan Village community about trauma and healing mechanisms.
Unisa staff and attendees
Unisa Eastern Cape Regional Director, Motale Nkgoang, opened the workshop and welcomed distinguished guests and everybody in attendance, stating: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this important and promising event. Thank you for taking the time to prioritise your wellbeing. Indeed, your mental health matters most to us and your success depends on your mental wellbeing. Trauma and healing are critical topics today. I want to make you aware that healing is a journey and not just a destination.
Nkgoang urged students and community members to participate by engaging, and by asking questions because there are no foolish questions. He concluded: “I wish you a very fruitful workshop that will be life changing for you upon leaving today”.
The presentation of Dr Joshua Ndlela, Gqeberha Student Councillor, was based on trauma. He said that there are many perspectives of trauma, and proceeded to highlight the ecological perspective. He first defined ecology as the science of interrelationships between organisms and their environments. “Trauma is defined as an unexpected life event which creates emotional distress caused by an intrinsic agent, that is, anything that is outside of us, such as divorce, robbery or death,” said Ndlela.
He also spoke about the symptoms of trauma such as the denial of traumatic events, extreme anger or sadness, and flashback episodes or nightmares. According to Ndlela, the long-term effects of trauma include, but are not limited to, poor performance of tasks, low sense of self-confidence, dropping out of school or university, and people not functioning the way they used to.
In closing, Ndlela urged staff and students to use the free and confidential counselling services offered by Unisa such as employment preparation, counselling on personal issues affecting studies, wellbeing and performance, and personal development.
Families South Africa (FAMSA) social worker, Velelwa Msengana, started her presentation by defining mental health as follows: “When we refer to mental health, we are referring to anything that gives us problems, mentally. Trauma has many categories, such as childhood trauma, evolving trauma, Little ‘t’ trauma, which refers to less intense experiences that can still have a significant impact on an individual’s emotional well-being, and Big ‘T’ trauma, which refers to severe life-altering experiences that cause significant emotional and psychological distress.”
FAMSA social worker Velelwa Msengana
Msengana concluded her presentation by speaking about coping mechanisms such as peer support groups, family, and therapeutic methods such as gardening, painting, cooking and sewing.
The presentation of Nolwazi Somtsewu, an East London Regional Hub student councillor, was based on how nature can be used for healing. She stated: “There are different ways we can use nature to heal. Trauma affects different wellness dimensions and wellness is about making deliberate decisions and choices that are more satisfying for one’s life.”
She explained ecotherapy, which is using nature as part of treatment for psychological wellbeing, and horticultural therapy, which uses plants and flowers for healing. Somtsewu concluded her presentation by stating: “I want to encourage people to make use of nature for healing, whether you want to go to the beach or do gardening. Nature can heal us, nature is free!”
The Trauma Awareness and Healing Workshop was a success as the turnout was great, and all attendees received information on what to look out for if they suspect that they are dealing with trauma. They also received information on various methods to use in their healing process, depending on the severity of their trauma.
* By Lukhetho Mbanjwa, communication and marketing intern, Unisa Eastern Cape
Publish date: 2024-11-28 00:00:00.0
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