New teaching formats to train social workers in crisis contexts
International social work faces complex challenges shaped on the one hand due to poverty, inequality, crises, violence & displacement and on the other hand due to its necessity to bridge intercultural different communication paradigms, worldviews and values. This creates an incredible amount of stress, easily leading to overwhelm, overburden & burn-out. To strengthen resilience and self-care among social workers the teaching format of Mindfulness-Based Intercultural Resilience Training (MBICRT) was developed, integrating into a salutogenetic approach the evidence-based training schedule of MBSR. However, to fully take into consideration the intercultural set up, these modules had been enriched with methods from migration education, peace education as well as with embodiment techniques from interactive theater. The aim was to strengthen meta-cognition, stress management skills as well es emotional intelligence and intercultural understandings through an “elicitiv” and “emergent” teaching approach. This teaching format was evaluated as usual and then further researched within a pilot study with scales. All three scales had also been tested in this intercultural context, which is central to this course as it was made up of people from very different cultural backgrounds. MBICRT thus is an experience-based intercultural resilience training program, combining theoretical foundations with practical exercises in mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and embodied self-awareness, empowering professionals to act with clarity, compassion, and responsibility in intercultural settings.
Mindfulness-Based Intercultural Communication & Resilience Training (MBICRT) - 2023 & 2024
Mindfulness-Based Intercultural Resilience Training (MBICRT) was conducted as part of the ThRIvE project in 2023 and 2024 for social work students at THWS, MUBS, and GJU. In a series of online events and in-person meetings, participants were introduced to mindfulness and self-care theories and practices appropriate for the intercultural context to empower the self-care practice of social workers and their capability to act self-responsibly by acknowledging their own needs.
The online sessions introduced participants to a variety of topics, including mindfulness as a tool for dealing with cultural differences, resilience in Muslim communities, and ethical decision-making in intercultural social work. The training also included an introduction to the salutogenic model as a culturally sensitive approach to improve health, evidence-based knowledge about and various practical methods for mindfulness and stress management. These were also put into practice in numerous exercises.
In the winter of 2023, following the online lecture series with Prof. Dr. Hannah Reich (THWS, Germany), Prof. Dr. Nada Eltaiba (GJU, Jordan), and Dr. Lena Bahou (Lebanon), in-person workshops were held at THWS, GJU, and MUBS. In Jordan, trainer Rola El-Annan led two intensive sessions for social work students and participants from the Zaatari Camp, focusing on mindfulness, emotional self-awareness, and practical self-care strategies. In Lebanon, students at MUBS engaged in a full-day training that combined group practices with individual supervision.
In fall 2024, the online lectures of the MBICRT program were offered by Prof. Dr. Hannah Reich (THWS, Germany), Prof. Dr. Nada Eltaiba (GJU, Jordan), and Amal Hawari (MUBS, Lebanon). In presence workshops in Jordan and Germany rounded off the training and brought together students and social work professionals to strengthen resilience and self-care in intercultural contexts. Due to the beginning of a war in Lebanon, no in person event could be implemented there. However, adapting to the situation, a new measurement was conceptualized to acknowledge the needs of the Lebanese and implemented in Germany in December 2024: Resilienz, Empowerment and Community Well-being.
Across all formats, the workshops emphasized empowerment, self-compassion, and the cultivation of resilience, offering participants concrete tools to strengthen their professional and personal wellbeing.
