ASSYST HEART · AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
Healing trauma across
the South Pacific
Emergency response to community mental health crises. Evidence-Based Trauma Stabilisation Across New Zealand and the Pacific. quick deployment. free to communities and individuals.
Humanitarian · Pro bono
Group & individual formats
Adults, children & adolescents
12k+
clinicians trained globally
60
countries reached
10
NZ regions covered
WHAT IS ASSYST HEART
Rapid stabilisation for Acute Trauma & PTSD
ASSYST (Acute Stress Syndrome Stabilization) treatment procedures belong to a family of scripted, evidence-based treatment interventions built on 100+ peer-reviewed publications. Grounded in EMDR's Adaptive Information Processing model, these procedures reduce or eliminate intrusive trauma symptoms by gently regulating the autonomic nervous system.
ASSYST HEART fills the critical gap between Psychological First Aid and full EMDR therapy — making it ideal for rapid deployment after earthquakes, floods, mass events, or community crisis.
WHY ASSYST HEART
Built for when it matters most
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Fast to deploy
Can be delivered within hours of a critical event — from critical care through to early intervention, and beyond the acute phase into longer-term support.
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Group & individual
Scripted for both group and one-on-one administration, flexible to any context and setting.
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Proven globally
Deployed after earthquakes, wildfires, floods, pandemics, and mass events across 53 countries.
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Always free
Delivered entirely pro bono to communities in need — there is no cost to participants.
WHAT WE OFFER
Our national response capacity
Training at request or after disaster. Available for mental health professionals across NZ and neighbouring Pacific nations — particularly in communities with limited access to trauma resources.
A structured national response team. Vania Miteva serves as National Coordinator, supported by regional coordinators across 10 established NZ regions — ready to mobilise when and where needed.
Group interventions on request. Government bodies, NGOs, and local councils can request group trauma stabilisation sessions delivered by our certified team.
We work with all ages. Proven effective with adults, children, and adolescents across diverse trauma presentations and cultural contexts.
Upcoming trainings announced here. When a new ASSYST HEART training is scheduled, it will appear alongside our curated training calendar.
COVERAGE
10 regions, one national network
Each region has a dedicated coordinator trained in ASSYST delivery and ready to mobilise. We also hold connections with Pacific Island nations and can support neighbouring communities on request.
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Northland
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Auckland
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Waikato
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Bay of Plenty
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Wellington
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Nelson/Marlborough
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Canterbury
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West Coast
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Otago
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Southland
A GLOBALLY RECOGNISED APPROACH
low Intensity intervention —
big impact, by design
ASSYST is classified as a Low Intensity Intervention (LII): a brief, evidence-based approach that requires minimal specialist therapist time — up to six sessions — without compromising effectiveness, efficacy, or safety. This is not about treating mild problems. It is about delivering powerful trauma care efficiently, in contexts where resources are limited.
LIIs are less expensive, less complex, and clinically proven — designed to enhance the feasibility of trauma treatment in settings with limited mental health workforce and economic capacity. This aligns with WHO and Red Cross/Red Crescent stepped-care models for global mental health.
WHY THE SOUTH PACIFIC
Built for this region, right now
Pacific Island nations face a convergence of pressures that make access to trauma care both urgent and historically out of reach. ASSYST's low-intensity model is precisely designed for these realities.
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Fast to Climate trauma
Communities across the Pacific face ongoing traumatic stress from rising seas, cyclones, and climate displacement — chronic, cumulative, and compounding.
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Limited mental health workforce
Many Pacific nations have severely under-resourced mental health systems. ASSYST is designed to work within these constraints — not around them.
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Complex community pressures
Substance use, family violence, and poverty-related trauma create compounding need. ASSYST addresses acute stress across all these presentations.
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WHO & Red Cross aligned
This approach is consistent with international best-practice stepped-care frameworks for low-resource settings, endorsed by WHO and the Red Cross/Red Crescent.
PACIFIC NATIONS WELCOME
Are you based in the Pacific Islands?
ASSYST HEART training and group intervention support is available to organisations and governments across the South Pacific — including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and beyond. If your community needs support, we want to hear from you.
Fiji Samoa Tonga Papua New Guinea Cook Islands Vanuatu Solomon Islands + more
GET IN TOUCH
Ready to Connect?
Whether you're a government body, NGO, local council, or community organisation — if your community has experienced a traumatic event or is under ongoing stress, reach out. This service is free, and we are here.
ASSYST HEART was developed by Dr Ignacio Jarero & Prof Lucina Artigas, EMDR México. You can learn more about ASSYST here.
Vania Miteva is the sole certified ASSYST HEART trainer for the South Pacific, certified January 2026.