SECONDARY TRAUMA
What a jarring week it’s been. Innocents have been murdered. Irreparable damage has been inflicted on multitudes. Worldviews and reputations have been assaulted. Many people are in inexplicable pain. The citizens of Christchurch have been pummelled once again. Life as we knew it is no more.
Clearly, surviving family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbours of the victims experienced trauma first hand. They rightly need to be the recipients of our love, prayers, and care.
Yet, untold others have been deeply impacted as well and experience secondary trauma. Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that occurs in us when we are exposed to others who have been traumatised. It can also tap into our past experiences and trigger unprocessed historical trauma. Symptoms of secondary trauma can be likened to those of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome such as intrusive and repetitive thoughts, mood swings, and social withdrawal.
So, if you suffer secondary trauma, what might you do? Accepting that one person’s despicable actions can impact individuals, families, communities, cities, countries, the world, and thus ourselves needs to be the start. You can break free from the scourge of silence by talking with friends, caregivers, and/or counsellors about your feelings and experiences. Be gentle towards yourself, focus on self-care, prioritise community, and grieve with others. Keep in mind that Jesus is in the storm with us (Matthew 8). One man’s actions sparked instances of first- and second-hand trauma; working through secondary trauma can bring forth new perspectives and healing.
Phil Halstead | Lecturer and Counsellor
Photo copyright Washington Post
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CAREY'S PRAYER HIKOI
Dear Carey community,
Last week we were planning to spend Tuesday morning playing games and having fun together – an annual event to welcome and connect with new students. Friday afternoon changed all that. As a theological college, as a Christian learning community, we felt compelled to gather to pray.
So yesterday Carey’s staff and student body gathered together for prayer and reflection in response to last Friday’s terrorist attacks. This time of prayer took the form of a hikoi, or a journey, as we moved through a series of stages or stations: remembering, grieving, confessing, interceding, supporting, and affirming. I thought it was very special.
We started in Carey’s dining room, where we remembered that God is with us, even in the darkness of evil. We then moved into our Maori learning space, where we lamented what has happened, expressing our pain, articulating our anger, our confusion, our questions.
From there we journeyed into Carey’s darkened chapel, one candle burning. There we confessed the reality of sin and racism in our society, our history, our churches, and our own hearts. In response we signed with our finger prints a commitment to resist racism, wherever we encounter it, in Jesus’ name.
This was followed by a time of intercession, with prayers offered in Arabic and English, as we lit fifty candles, representing the fifty victims. We prayed for the city of Christchurch. We prayed for our students affected by the massacre.
We then emerged from the darkness, back into the light of Te Whare Oranga, where we compiled a book of condolence messages for our local Muslim community. We will be presenting this to our Muslim neighbours in the near future.We finished with songs affirming God’s love, and asking for the grace to be bearers of that love.
You can read the order of service here [insert link to the file]. Feel free to share or use it if you think it might be of help.
As a theological college, as a Christian learning community, we have not published any formal statements. There is a place for that. But this is our response: to look up to Christ in prayer, to reflect on the tragedy through Scripture, and to reach out to our Muslim neighbours in love. May God give us the grace to continue to do each of these three things well.
John
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CHAPEL WORSHIP - "A BROKEN WOMAN"
Dr Mick Duncan - Itinerant Speaker and Carey Lecturer will be joining us on Tuesday.
Come and see for yourself - starting 11.15am on Tuesday!
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COMMUNITY LUNCHES
(12.40pm Monday | 12pm Tuesday)
Join us on Monday and Tuesday for our Community Lunches. This is a great time to get to know other students and staff while enjoying a delicious lunch together.
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DINING ROOM KARAKIA (PRAYER)
Wondering what the translation is for our Karakia that is up on the wall in the dining room? Here it is:
Bless this food
May it nourish our bodies and feed our spirit with the bread of eternal life
Bless our food in Jesus name, Amen.
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WEDNESDAY PRAYER MEETING
(Carey Chapel 12.40pm - 1pm)
Tim Lim (Director of the Centre for Chinese Research and Training) will be leading this time together. This is a time for everyone, staff and students together, to join and pray with one another.
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Psalm 10
Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises….
He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
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TOASTMASTERS 2019
Come along to a Toastmasters Meeting and learn:
simple ways to grab an audience's attention
practical ways to overcome the fears of standing in front of people
and much more....
6 - 7.30pm
Starting this coming Thursday
Lecture Room 3
contact Vince Kilpatrick for more details
027 284 6235
vince.kilpatrick@gmail.com
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CAREY GRADUATION - 6th APRIL
We need waiters, set up and pack down helpers for Graduation.
Can you help?
Friday - 5th April - 1 - 3pm (set up)
Saturday 6th - 4 - 6pm (waiting)
Saturday 6th - 6 - 8pm (pack down)
Please contact Kathryn Heard if you can help:
kathryn.heard@carey.ac.nz or shoulder tap me when you see me around campus.
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ACADEMIC REPS
Introducing Carey's Academic Reps for 2019:
Andrew Clark-Howard is our Undergraduate Academic Rep and Mel Te-Bay is our Rep for Postgraduate students. They are available to help you with any academic questions or assistance you need.
andrewclarkhoward@gmail.com or mel.tebay@gmail.com.
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10 ESSENTIALS FOR ASSIGNMENTS
As you start to think ahead to your first assessments make sure you check out the hints and tips on Careyonline under 10 Essentials. these are design to help you with academic writing, your referencing skills to make sure you get that A grade!!
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LIBRARY NEWS: LEARN HOW TO PARAPHRASE
Come to this very practical session on Tuesday.
Starting 1pm and will finish at 1.30pm.
The Library hours still continue to operate as usual:
Mon-Thu: 8.30am – 6.30pm
Fri: 9am – 5pm
Sat: 10am – 12.30pm
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3pm, Saturday 6th April | Manukau City Baptist Church
All are welcome! | More details here
Are you graduating? Download a form here
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