Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

On January 28, 2010, Dr. Liz Wieling traveled to Najaf, Iraq to collaborate with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams to conduct an initial assessment of mental health needs and psychological trauma of families in Najaf. To read the report, click here.

The project began in 2008, when Sami Rasouli, founding member of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams in Najaf, Iraq, along with Dr. Sara Axtell and IARP’s Kaia Svien and Kathy McKay, visited with Dr. Wieling about the possibility of collaborating to address the needs of families in Najaf affected by the long standing psychological trauma resulting from four decades of war and organized violence, and most recently by the U.S. invasion in 2003. Dr. Wieling’s area of clinical research focuses on developing culturally relevant, systemic oriented, multi-component interventions to address psychological trauma.

During this meeting Mr. Rasouli described the daily struggles families in his home town of Najaf were facing and invited/requested support to address the escalating mental health needs of his community. Dr. Wieling joined the other members of this team in their commitment to provide assistance and rebuild local capacity across several societal areas of need. To read the full report, click here.

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