Healing Circles Toolkit

This toolkit, developed by the Shifa Project in partnership with educAID Australia and the Centre for Muslim Wellbeing, provides practical guidance for facilitating group psychological support sessions using a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) framework. While originally designed for communities affected by the crisis in Gaza, the methodology is broadly applicable to populations experiencing collective trauma. The toolkit centres a communal resilience approach, recognising that group-based coping — shared processing, mutual support, and collective meaning-making — is often more effective than individualised intervention, particularly in collectivist communities. It offers two facilitation models: a structured seven-phase debriefing circle (introduction through re-entry) and a more flexible healing circle format drawing on spiritual and cultural practices. Practical resources include facilitator scripts, emotion and sensation vocabulary lists, and guidance for adapting sessions for children, online settings, and co-facilitation. The toolkit is intended for use by mental health professionals, community workers, educators, and trained facilitators, with a strong emphasis on duty of care, professional competence, and referral pathways for participants requiring individual support.