Intended Audience
The psychology department welcomes Dr. Laura Miller-Graff as the first speaker in its 2023-2024 lecture series: The Psychology of Conflict and Peace.
Dr. Miller-Graff will speak on "Bandaids on Bullet wounds? Ethical and contextual considerations in providing psychosocial support in conflict-affected settings." The talk will take place virtually via Zoom (see department series site for passcode).
Providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in conflict-affected settings has gained substantial support in the past decade, and represents an important step in foregrounding the serious psychological toll of conflict and violence on individuals, families, and communities. A number of scholars and practitioners, however, have raised important ethical and contextual considerations for MHPSS including what it means to provide care in contexts where violence is ongoing, and the extent to which the provision of care may turn attention away from addressing and preventing violence -- a root cause of distress. Concerns have also been raised about the "export" of psychological practices from the global West with little to no consideration of cultural and contextual adaptation. Enlivened by real-world examples of MHPSS research and programs for children and families, this talk will address the evidence-basis for MHPSS in conflict-affected settings as well as ethical quandaries encountered by researchers and practitioners and possible ways forward. We will discuss questions regarding the contextual and cultural adaptation of MHPSS programs and next steps in the movement towards providing ethical, equitable and dignified care for individuals and families whose lives are affected by violence.
Laura Miller-Graff is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her program of research focuses on the development, adaptation, and evaluation of brief psychological interventions for individuals who have experienced chronic forms of violence. Her research spans both local and global contexts, with core lines of work centered on interventions for intimate partner violence and on approaches to psychosocial support for individuals and families living in conflict-affected settings.
Free and open to the public.
This event may be used to satisfy the Lecture Reflection Requirement in PSYC206 and PSYC493/494.
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