Christ-centered Trauma Counseling
Healing HeartsEven in their worst nightmares, most people cannot fathom the horrors perpetrated against minority groups in Turkey, Syria, and Northern Iraq at the hands of the terrorist organization, ISIS.
Getting Involved
Saving Lives
Pray for the PEOPLE OF THE KURDISH REGION
The northern region of Iraq known as Kurdistan, although not officially an independent nation, has been a place of refuge for minority groups such as Christians and Yazidis. It is also a place of refuge for displaced Muslims who have experienced prolonged exposure to trauma. Internationally, Iraq has earned the reputation as among the seven worst global offenders of human security. The people need our prayers. The nation needs to experience the peace and love of God through Jesus Christ. Break though begins in prayer.
Financially Support trauma healing
When presented with the choice to a) feed one’s family or b) go to counseling, option “A” will win every time. The unfortunate reality is resources needed to provide critical trauma counseling services in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq are extremely limited. Private funding is urgently needed to invest in healing the hearts and minds of people who have experienced horrific abuses at the hands of ISIS and others. Please prayerfully consider supporting this trauma counesling center.
What we do
Our Services
Recruit and Train Counselors
There is a critical shortage of counselors in Kurdistan. Working through local churches and in partnership with the Iraqi Bible Society, we recruit, train and support those with a heart to serve as counselors.
create safe counseling spaces
It is critically important those who come to us feel physically and emotionally safe in our centers. Our counselors gently develop trusting relationships with their clients as they guide them in their healing process.
educate the public
Mental health is often misunderstood by the general public. This is especially true in Kurdistan where the entire population has felt the impacts of prolonged trauma exposure through war. We aim to educate the public on the existence and effects of trauma to gain community support.
break the cycle of trauma
It takes but one person to create a cycle of trauma and abuse for generations to follow. For this reason we focus on the individual, prayerfully supporting his/her journey to healing and hope. We depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s love to set people free, one by one. He is our great healer and restorer.
Our Mission
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1
Storm Chaser Foundation’s mission in Northern Iraq is to bring GOOD NEWS to a region that has lost hope. The GOOD NEWSÂ found in Jesus Christ is this: God is willing and able to heal every hurt; to bring peace to minds tormented by memories of war; and to restore hope and joy.
Get Involved
As the need for gifted and well-equipped counselors in Kurdistan grows, the greater the need will be for bi-annual and quarterly training and refreshment seminars. The estimated budget for each seminar is $3000 USD. If you would like to support a seminar, whole or in part, please click the button below.
Upcoming Events
Fall 2021 - training & refreshment
All Day Storm Chaser Foundation will be hosting a day-long seminar for current counselors in Erbil, Kurdistan. The purpose of the event is to provide professional development and encouragement for our counselors.
Learn from the experts
Healing Trauma
Healing from trauma
“Everything about the (traumatic) event is now stored in the Lympic system, right above your brainstem instead of in the memory glands on the right and left bottom corners of your brain. The purpose is to allow your brain to access this information quickly in order to better survive the next time.
Without treatment, the information stays in the Lympic system and as we experience life on a daily basis, we collect more trauma from unexpected events in life, which also builds on the symptoms until all you become is a walking trauma symptom.”
Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:
- Recurrent, unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event
- Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again (flashbacks)
- Upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event
- Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event
-Dr. Gary Bell, Seattle Christian Counseling
Trauma Exposure & PTSD in Iraq
“Middle-Eastern populations have been increasingly exposed to war, and victims of persecution and human rights violations in the midst of long-lasting political conflicts. Since 2003, these events have caused several waves of migration, particularly from Syria and Iraq.
Iraq has consistently scored 5 on the Political Terror Scale, making it one of the seven worst offenders of human security. According to the 2013 U.S State Department report, societal abuses and discrimination are based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. In fact, ISIS rebels, motivated by a confluence of religious, political, and cultural factors, are threatening, oppressing and murdering those who do not conform to their religious ideals, including Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who do not adhere to their ideology.”
-A Research Article