INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON TRAUMA PREVENTION STUDIES
“From Darkness to Hope: Healing from Trauma in a World Facing Violence and Poverty”
CONGRESS CONCEPT VIDEO
We're coming together not only to understand trauma, but to prevent it and increase hope! As World Human Relief, we're preparing for a major gathering to shed light on the darkness and show solidarity with the 1st International Congress on Trauma Prevention Studies. We're sharing our video with you to this end.
INVITATION TO THE CONGRESS
FROM DARKNESS TO HOPE: A JOURNEY OF HEALING FROM TRAUMA
Trauma does not only imprint itself on the mind and body of a child shaped by war, a youth growing in the shadow of poverty, or a woman scarred by domestic violence—it also penetrates the soul of society. It feeds on silence, grows with denial, and is passed down through generations.
The 1st International Congress on Trauma Prevention Studies is not merely a space for knowledge sharing; it is also a call for confrontation, witnessing, and solidarity. This congress is organized to shed light on areas where violence remains invisible and to be a collective voice against the isolating effects of trauma.
Chair of the UTÜÇ-KO Organizing Committee
Prof. Dr. Ayten Zara
SPEAKERS
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SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE
FROM DARKNESS TO HOPE: A SHARED JOURNEY OF HEALING FROM TRAUMA
Mental health professionals working in the field in Palestine–Gaza are participating in our International Trauma Studies training program. This collaboration will strengthen the impact of fieldwork carried out in Gaza.
Experts from Palestine will also take part in our International Trauma Prevention Congress, and we will shape our solidarity efforts according to Palestine’s needs. We will not leave Palestine alone — we will continue to expand our solidarity.
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Registration
Opening Speech
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Ayten Zara (Faculty Member, Department of Psychology, Bahçeşehir University) – Prof. Dr. Hümeyra Adıgüzel (Dean, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Bahçeşehir University) - Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu (Rector, Bahçeşehir University)
Conference: Intergenerational Trauma: Collective Memory, Denial, and Injustice
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Narlı – Prof. Dr. Melek Göregenli
Coffee Break
Foyer Area: Leave Your Mark…
Speaker / Instructor: Painter Murat Sezer
Panel: Remembering and Reckoning: The Sociological, Legal, and Political Faces of Trauma
Speaker / Instructor: Res. Asst. Yaren Sever (Mod.) – Prof. Dr. İdil Işık – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Galma Akdeniz – Dr. Batuhan Yıldız
Lunch Break
Panel: Confronting and Preventing the Traumatic Traces of Poverty, Discrimination, and Inequality
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Çiğdem Koşe (Mod.) – Canan Güllü – Atty. Selmin Cansu Demir – Umut Güner
Coffee Break
Panel: To Remember or to Forget? The Boundaries of Collective Memory and Healing
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Mukadder Okuyan (Mod.) – Prof. Dr. Ulaş Sunata – Dr. Azad Gönderci - Journalist Murat Çelikkan – Atty. A. Güçlü Sevimli
Registration
Conference: The Trauma Cycle and the Divided Mind: Clinical Reflections in an Age of Alienation
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Vedat Şar – Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schnyder (Switzerland)
Coffee Break
Foyer Area: Leave Your Mark…
Speaker / Instructor: Painter Murat Sezer
Experiential Workshops: Silent Witnesses: Art, Memory, and Healing Practices
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. İlknur İnci – Prof. Dr. Nilgün Canel – Musician Pınar Dursun – Psych. Beyza Şimşek - Atty. Mediator Süreyya Kardelen Yarli - Uzm. Oya Tanrıveri - Clic. Psych. Funda Sancar Yılmaz
Experiential Workshop: Musical Bridge: Experience with Music Workshop
Speaker / Instructor: Spec. Mt. Özgür Salur - Psych. Beyza Şimşek / Music Therapy Academy
Panel: Vulnerability and Strength: Trauma, Symbolism, and Hope
Speaker / Instructor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Miray Akyunus (Mod.) – Prof. Dr. Erdinç Öztürk – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin Uygun – Clic. Psych. Zaynab Hinnawi (Palestine)
Lunch Break
Panel: Touching the Wound: Trauma-Focused Interventions and Healing
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Aliye Canan Taşlıoğlu Sayıner (Mod.) – Prof. Dr. Nilgün Canel – Prof. Dr. Mehmet Eskin – Prof. Dr. Tamer Aker
Clinical Workshops: Working with Trauma at the Clinical Level: Approaches to Intervention, Resilience, and Healing
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schnyder – H.S. Spec. Maura Reap – Psych. Ahlam Saleh – Prof. Dr. Erdinç Öztürk – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin Uygun – Clic. Psych. Didem Çaylak van Zuijlen - Prof. Dr. Idil Işık - Dr. Sibel Çalışkan
Coffee Break
Panel: Growing Up in the Storm: Providing Care Without Receiving It
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Ayşenur Benevento (Mod.) – Prof. Dr. Ejder Akgün Yıldırım – Prof. Dr. Gül Dikeç – Prof. Dr. Zeynep Cihangir Çankaya & Serdar Çankaya
Registration
Conference: Trauma, Memory, and Resistance
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Samah Jabr (Palestine) –H.S. Spec. Maura Reap & Psych. Ahlam Saleh (Palestine) – Dr. Froma Walsh (Online, USA)
Coffee Break
Foyer Area: Leave Your Mark…
Speaker / Instructor: Painter Murat Sezer
Experiential Workshops: Silent Witnesses: Art, Memory, and Healing Practices
Speaker / Instructor: Aytül Hasaltun Bozkurt– Clic. Psych. Zeynep Kaboğlu – Clic. Psych. Özüm Demirel – Clic. Psych. Ezgi Turan – Mina Güloğlu – Psych. Beyza Şimşek - Spec. Ece Türkmut Dere - Spec. Psych. Aylin Dayoğlu - Spec. Pt. Ezgi Yaşar
Experiential Workshop: The Restorative Power of Writing in Trauma: A Group Workshop on the Metaphor Menu in Trauma
Speaker / Instructor: Journalist Ayla Türksoy / Unity for Democracy – EU Ideas Workshop
Panel: Social Awareness and Holistic Solutions
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Ebru Yılmaz (Mod.) – Prof. Dr. Gökhan Malkoç – Prof. Dr. Münevver Yıldırım – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olga Selin Hünler
Lunch Break
Panel: Trauma-Related Safe Relationship Studies with Youth: A Protective-Preventive Perspective
Speaker / Instructor: Res. Asst. Gamze Şener (Mod.) – Spec. Psych. Merve Karabulut - – Psych. Meryem Betül Topkaya & Psych. Kübra Aygün – Clic. Psych. Ayten Nur Cerrah & Spec. Psych. Armağan Meşhur
Clinical Workshop: Acute Trauma and Crisis Intervention in the Light of EMDR
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Burhanettin Kaya / Turkish Psychiatric Association
Clinical Workshops: Working with Trauma at the Clinical Level: Approaches to Intervention, Resilience, and Healing
Speaker / Instructor: Soc. Begüm Baki – Sws. İrem Özgürcan – Dr. Samah Jabr – Dr. Bahar Tanyaş – Dr. Serkan Özgün – Clic. Psych. Zaynab Hinnawi - Spec. Psych. Dilşen Özden - Prof. Dr. Figen İnci - Clic. Psych. Şule Nur Orhan
Coffee Break
Panel: From Darkness to Hope: The Power of Civil Society
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Ayten Zara (Mod.) – Sws. İkram Doğan – Dr. Ahmet Türker – Sevim Kahraman
Online Workshop: Working with Complex and Traumatic Losses: Supporting Healing and Resilience
Speaker / Instructor: Dr. Froma Walsh
Closing: From Wound to Word, from Solidarity to Hope: The Path to Preventing and Healing Traumas
Speaker / Instructor: Prof. Dr. Ayten Zara
WORKSHOPS
CONFERENCE PANEL
As we bear witness to the suffering of the world, we discover together methods of preventing trauma, solidarity, and the common language of healing.
CLINICAL WORKSHOP
In clinical workshops, our trauma specialists deepen their intervention skills and redefine resilience and recovery.
EXPERIENCE WORKSHOPS
Touch your own story with the healing power of art, listen to your inner voice and grow stronger silently.
REGISTRATION AND FEES
The International Congress on Trauma Prevention Studies (UTÖÇ-KO) will be held in Istanbul on January 9–11, 2026 in both in-person and online formats. Participants may also apply for selected clinical and experiential workshops in addition to congress sessions.
Please complete your registration within the specified dates to benefit from early-bird discounts and secure a spot in workshops with limited capacity.
Click for detailed registration and fee information...
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