For many years, THRIVE’s Executive Director, Mick Hirsch, has been struggling with “traditional” approaches to mental health care for refugees and other survivors of conflict. A graduate of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, Mick was taught to think “outside the box” – to challenge Western methods, and instead listen to the unique cultural, traditional and local needs of people.
For 8 years, THRIVEGulu has built a reputation based on its integrated model of psycho-social rehabilitation and economic empowerment. The “5 to THRIVE” Model builds upon this history. An innovative approach to trauma recovery, “5 to THRIVE” unites mental health counseling with spirituality, economic empowerment, inter-personal relationships and family planning. Each of the five areas is essential for a person to THRIVE!
Mick will officially present the “5 to THRIVE” Model to an international audience in September 2018, as an invited speaker at the 2ndInternational Conference on Africa-Asia Relations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In the meantime, the staff at THRIVE will begin learning the model and applying it throughout all aspects of the organization’s mission and vision to make survivors into THRIVERS!
THRIVE Counselor and Grant Program Manager, Austin, leads a training for lay counselors, helping them identify the signs and symptoms of mental distress in their communities.
