From the desk of Dr. Jane Hansberry, Ph.D. FHE Executive Director

June 2007
Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this year the FHE conducted a survey of folks who had been involved in either our outreach efforts in Thailand and Louisiana, or had taken our trauma first aid trainings. We are grateful for the thoughtful feedback provided to us by the individuals who responded.

That feedback provided valuable information. We learned, for instance, that many of the people who completed the trauma first aid classes felt that the classes were a great refresher for their own SE skills. Further, many folks responded that they believe it is vitally important for first responders already in the field to get these skills. All of this feedback is forming our thinking about how to bring SE forward. We are right now, for instance, incubating an interactive media project that would train first responders in SE.

I want to respond here to the concerns that were raised in the survey and elsewhere about the FHE's direction in our outreach efforts. The work done through our TOP program was extraordinary and we are pleased that so many members of the SE community were involved in it. We as an organization are looking at our core competencies, our niche in the training world, and where we can make the best impact. We are not presently sponsoring national or international humanitarian missions. *Two organizations are currently offering brief Somatic training, and can be reached at http://www.traumaresourceinstitute.com/ and www.tfaassociates.org

We are instead asking questions, listening, and reflecting on what we have learned and are learning. The results of our survey indicated that a number of folks are getting involved with first responder groups in their own regions. For instance, becoming Red Cross mental health volunteers and using SE skills in those settings. Other colleagues have written telling us about getting involved in human service agencies in their communities -the homeless shelter in Petaluma, California is one such place benefiting from SEPs involvement. See article: Start Where You Are: SE Clinic Pilot Program Begins at Bay Area Homeless Shelter >>

On behalf of the FHE Board and staff, I want to assure you that outreach efforts upon which we embark will be strategic and sustainable. We are interested in creating strategic partnerships with first responder and humanitarian organizations. This would allow us to work with infrastructure that is already in place, and we wouldn't have to re-invent.

Stay tuned, and please let us know in what ways you are using SE in your own backyard and afar.