In this episode, I speak with Laurie Charlés. Laurie is a family therapist who has taken her expertise to regions in the throes of conflict, violence and fragility - countries where mental health concerns can be dire - yet the resources available to help are rudimentary. She’s helped coach and train the people who support vulnerable groups and victims of gender-based violence in places like DRC, Burundi, Kosovo, Lebanon for Syrian refugees, among so many others... and our conversation made me realise the staggering amount of trauma left in the wake of conflict. We talk about her journey into becoming a therapist, the biases she’s had to overcome and insights from the thousands of hours spent speaking to families.
Recorded on 20 December 2023.
Corrigendum: Laurie attended her first graduate degree for 4.5 years. It is her second graduate degree that took her six years. Laurie also referred to GDZ when she meant GDR (East Germany).
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Connect with Laurie on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/laurielcharlesphdlmft.
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