Debriefing: Building Staff Capacity

Dr Debbie Hawker’s “Debriefing Aid Workers and Missionaries: A Comprehensive Manual” gives thorough guidelines for those who debrief relief and development workers, volunteers, missionaries, peacekeepers or those in similar positions. The majority of aid workers report that receiving a personal debriefing session upon their return home has a positive psychological effect on them. To discuss Hawker’s manual and share experiences and knowledge of the debriefing process, People In Aid offered a Masterclass in September 2011 to those who had completed a previous debriefing workshop in June. This Masterclass was highly successful, with participants presenting complex situations and finding satisfactory solutions through collaboration.