Practitioners working in the peacebuilding, humanitarian and development sectors are often exposed to traumatic and stressful environments that can significantly impact on their mental health and general wellbeing. Understanding these stressors and its effects can provide valuable insights for themselves and those supporting them and working with them. Further, insights into the emotional effects and coping mechanisms can help in fostering resilience and ensuring that practitioners can both sustain their work and protect their mental health at the same time.
📅 When: 02-05 March 2026 (4 days) from 9:00 to 17:30 daily
📍 Where: Jugendakademie Walberberg, in Bornheim, Germany
🗣️ Language: English
🪙 Course Fee: 640 €. The course fee covers: training materials, lunch, morning and afternoon tea/coffee.
The 4-day training is offered to practitioners of peace and conflict work, humanitarian or development cooperation, or those who intend to work in these fields.
Depending on methods and topic of the training, we limit the number of available spaces to a maximum of 16 participants. Register early to reserve your place!
Objectives
At the end of the 4-day seminar, the participants will have
Gained a solid understanding of trauma and stress, including the different types (e.g. acute, chronic, vicarious, and collective trauma), how they manifest in humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding settings, and their impact on individuals and teams.
Developed awareness of personal triggers and coping mechanisms, with guided self-reflection exercises designed to enhance self-awareness, reduce burnout risk, and support emotional resilience in the field.
Explored strategies for building and sustaining resilience, both individually and collectively, with a focus on protective factors, peer support, and creating psychologically safe team cultures.
Topics
Key concepts, principles and distinctions of trauma, stress, and resilience
Common patterns and responses to trauma and stress in conflict and post-conflict settings
Recognizing personal and professional trigger points and awareness of boundaries
Developing and building up individual and team resilience
Identifying and integration of strategies and practices to support individuals and groups to allow for sustaining practitioners in their work contexts
Methodology
The aim of this training is to provide an interactive and practice-oriented learning environment, in order for the participants to acquire the essential skills and knowledge on the topic. The consolidation of the participants’ sense of self, awareness of own patterns, attitudes, behaviors, biases, needs and limits, as well as understanding of group dynamics and the importance of communication are core issues to the training. These are not only put forward through theoretical inputs, but are consistently brought to the focus through practical exercises and the encouragement of self- and group reflection.
After a successful participation, participants receive a certificate and become part of the academy’s alumni network.
Do you have questions about this training? Our team is happy to assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact me: robert.sakofski@propeace.de
Application
Please register for this training online via our website by 30 November 2025. We will then contact you for the next steps. Please note that the number of available spaces per training is limited, and that your participation in the training is only guaranteed if the training fee is paid in time. Early registration is highly encouraged.
Please make sure to clearly express your motivation and expectations for the training. Also, please share your experiences relevant to the topic.
Visa: Participants from outside the EU will need a visa to enter Germany. We can generally support the visa process with a formal invitation letter from our side. Be advised that it takes a significant amount of time to get the visa processed, so be sure to start the process 8 weeks before the training start. Please make sure you are eligible and check the specific requirements and usual timeline for processing with your local German embassy. The responsibility for obtaining the visa lies with each of the participants themselves.
Registration
Ready to go? We are looking forward to your participation:
Or click here for more information and to register to the combined block with a 10% discount.
Further information on our cancellation policies can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Trainings. If you have any questions about financing options, please refer to our FAQs.
