Helena Schlindwein, Ph.D. has been a psychotherapist, researcher, a teacher at the University of Ulster (1984-2002) and a community educator for over twenty five years. Much of her work since the Eighties has been with victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland and her research has brought her to Israel, Palestine and Cyprus. Helena also worked for five years on cross- community and cross border peace building education programmes with secondary school children of the conflict from both communities in Northern Ireland and with other marginalised groups. She is author of Community Healing: Community Development Approached to Political Trauma in Northern Ireland (2002). She is co founder of 21 voluntary sector organisations and has served on a number of public bodies and boards of directors, chairing five of these over time.
She had a full-time private practice since 1990 and is managing director of Community Health and Training Services (CHATS), which provides training in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy, Mnemodynamics, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Dr. Schlindwein has a B.Sc. Social Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology, a Masters in Education, M.Ed. and Doctorate in Philosophy; her thesis was on examining personal and political stress in conflict situations. She is also a qualified Hatha Yoga and Meditation teacher and has taught between 1984-2002. Dr. Schlindwein is also a registered NRHP Psychotherapist working with individuals and groups world wide.
Helena is a parent of three children, two boys and a girl. She is a grandmother to six grandchildren and the author of Zoela’s Stories.
Helena’s work with children began in 1969 when she was Owner/Manager of a community pharmacy in the middle of a conflict zone opposite a primary school. Children were dealing with barricades outside the school gate, shootings, bombings, house raids, arrests, riots, and living in constant fear and intimidation within their territories.
This environment raised a lot of physical health issues i.e. physical injuries, but also psychological issues such as sleeplessness, fears and phobias (fear of the dark and the night time, appetite disturbance, poor school attendance, low achievement, low self esteem). Other consequences of the conflict were bereavement, separation, neglect, abuse, imprisonment, poverty, disrupted school routines and intimidation.
Daily the pharmacy acted as an emergency first aid post. The quick solution at the time was prescribed medication for children and adults to calm them down, to help them sleep and cope with the next day. However, some of these were addictive which in turn brought their own problems. Families were living a day at a time much like we see on our televisions today in the Middle East. In private practice today much of the distress the clients present with comes from early childhood traumas that have never been resolved.
Zoela's Stories are a way of reaching children across the world today who find themselves in helpless and powerless situations beyond their control and their abilities to cope. Helena wanted to develop ways of reaching into their inner consciousness to reassure them that their self worth endures in spite of their external experiences and that they can restore their peace of mind.
With the use of meditation and therapeutic stories they will sleep more peacefully and develop normal and happy lives.
