At the invitation of the Samoan Ministry of Health a team of NZ therapists will travel to Samoa on 24 February to train local mental health workers and counsellors, and work one-on one with those requiring help.

The project has had some initial sponsorship from the Flight Centre, Air New Zealand and Aggie Grey’s in Apia. They now require donations to fully fund their trip in February. Funds raised will cover costs of flights, island transportation and administration. Accomodation is being provided by Aggie Gray’s in Apia.

The trauma recovery team are a group of NLP Master Practitioners who are friends and meet once a month for professional development. The idea came when they heard on the news that many Samoan people are still suffering from PTSD. Lisa Gibson who is part- Samoan and born in Apia felt very strongly about supporting her native country. “Our mission is about helping people heal themselves so they can begin rebuilding their communities” she said.

“This kind of success is unprecedented in the field of psychotherapy” says Dr Richard Bolstad, NLP trainer who is leading the training in Samoa. The recovery team are aiming to raise $15,000 and would welcome $20+ donations from those people who would like to support their mission. You can find out more about their work at www.traumarecoveryteam.org.nz and about NLP in NZ at www.nzanlp.org.nz