Faith community gathers to hone trauma-support training

Faith community gathers to hone trauma-support training
Colorado Springs Gazette - Colorado Springs,CO,USA

"Spiritually, church counselors want to help, but they don't always understand what PTSD actually is," Griggs said.

MARK BARNA
THE GAZETTE
Religious leaders might know how to comfort someone who has lost a relative or counsel a couple in the midst of a marriage meltdown, but when it comes to helping military members traumatized by battle, they could use some counseling themselves.

That was the purpose of an all-day seminar Thursday in Colorado Springs. The seminar, called the "Trauma Support and Resources Training for the Faith Community," had two goals: to educate faith leaders about combat-related psychological conditions, and to let them know about resources where they can refer military members in need.

"Military folks seek the counsel of church leaders, but most of them don't know how to deal with combat stress-related issues," said Brian Duncan, an event organizer and program manager at First Choice Counseling Center in Colorado Springs. "We want faith leaders to know where they can refer people for services."
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