"Providing counseling for reporters who have witnessed some of the worst things that can happen to humanity – with no tools to handle the emotional shock – was identified as one of the most imminent and crucial needs for support to Kenyan media practitioners in the aftermath of the disputed December 2007 presidential election. An unprecedented wave of politically motivated violence was triggered when the Electoral Commission of Kenya declared President Mwai Kibaki winner of the presidential election. More than 1,000 Kenyans were killed and over 500,000 displaced. [...]
On this background, IMS decided to engage in a post-election violence trauma counseling project in close cooperation with the Kenya Association of Photographers, Illustrators and Designers (KAPIDE), Kenya Correspondents’ Association (KCA) and Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ). Under the theme: 'Healing the messenger – Post-election trauma counseling for Kenyan Journalists', trauma counseling was provided for a total of 150 journalists and photographers in five different locations. The sessions were conducted by leading Kenyan psychiatrist and expert in disaster management, Dr. Sobbie Mulindi, and a rapid response team from the Kenyatta National Hospital. This booklet offers insights into the experiences the journalists went through as told by themselves during the counseling sessions. All accounts reproduced in this handbook conceal the identity of the journalists to respect wishes for anonymity and the continued feeling of trauma and sensitivity characterizing the post-election situation in Kenya. The booklet also provides guidance to recognizing and dealing with trauma as elaborated and presented by Dr. Sobbie Mulindi and his team." (Preface)