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by Bin ta Barry & Nancy L. Pearso n
A Tactical No teb o ok p u blished by the Ne w Tactics Project o f the Center f or Victims o f Torture
Published by The Center f or Victims o f Torture Ne w Tactics in Human Rig h ts Project 717 East River Road M inneapolis, M N 55455 USA w w w.cvt.org, w w w.ne w tactics.org Notebook Series Editor Liam M ah o ny Design Susan Everson Copyediting Daniel Bernard
Th e Le a d ership Aca d e my o f t h e D esm o n d Tu t u Pe ace Ce n tre a n d t h e Ce n t er f or Victims o f Tort ure w ish t o ack n o w le d g e t h e f ollo w in g instit u tio ns t h a t provid e d su p p ort f or t h e N e w Tactics in H u m a n Rig h ts A frica n re gio n al trainin g w orksh o p, o f w hich t his a n d o t h er t actical n o t e b o o ks are a pro d uct: · Th e Rock e f eller Fo u n d a tio n · Th e In t ern a tio n al Ce n t er o n N o nviole n t Co n flict · N or w e gia n Ch urch A id · Th e Euro p e a n U nio n Co n f ere nce, W orksh o p a n d Cult ural Initia tives Fu n d in co nju nctio n w it h t h e So u t h A frica n N a tio n al Trust · Th e U nit e d St a t es D e p art m e n t o f St a t e · Th e U nit e d St a t es Instit u t e o f Pe ace · D o n ors w h o w ish t o re m ain a n o nym o us. W e are also gre a tly in d e b t e d t o t h e w ork o f n u m ero us in t erns a n d volu n t e ers w h o h ave co n trib u t e d t h eir tim e a n d exp ertise t o t h e a dva nce m e n t o f t h e project a n d o f h u m a n rig h ts. Th e N e w Tactics project h as also b e n e fit e d fro m m ore t h a n 2000 h o urs o f w ork fro m in divid u al volu n t e ers a n d in t erns as w ell as d o n a tio ns o f in-kin d su p p ort. So m e o f t h e instit u tio n al sp o nsors o f t his w ork inclu d e M acalest er Colle g e, t h e U niversity o f M in n eso t a, t h e Hig h er Ed uca tio n Co nsortiu m f or Urb a n A f f airs, t h e M in n eso t a Justice Fo u n d a tio n a n d t h e p u blic rela tio ns firm o f Pa dilla Sp e er Be ardsley.
Th e o pinio ns, fin din gs a n d co nclusio ns or reco m m e n d a tio ns expresse d o n t his sit e are t h ose o f t h e N e w Tactics project a n d d o n o t n ecessarily re flect t h e vie ws o f o ur f u n d ers For a f ull list o f project sp o nsors se e w w w.ne w tactics.org.
The vie ws expressed in this report do not necessarily re flect those o f the Ne w Tactics in Human Rights Project. The project does not advocate specific tactics or policies.
© 2004 Center for Victims of Torture This p u blicatio n may be freely repro d uced in prin t an d in electro nic f orm as lo n g as t his co pyrig h t n o tice ap pears o n all co pies.
Letter from the Ne w Tactics project manager
A uthor biographies
8 14 18
Tactic d evelo p m e n t
In tro ductio n
Impact & outcomes o f the tactic
Ho w does the tactic w ork?
15 19
Lessons learned & challenges
No tes
The Center f or Victims o f Torture Ne w Tactics in Human Righ ts Project 717 East River Road M in neap olis, M N 55455 USA w w w.cvt.org, w w w.ne w tactics.org
I want to thank CVT for sending me to participate in the New Tactics in Human Rights workshop. I learned a lot from the workshop which has motivated me to explore different human right violations, understanding how I can double my learning capacity to address some of these issues in my country. In my country, Sierra Leone, we don't have the opportunity to do these courses at university level and my dreams are to see myself in one of the universities studying in the psychology department. — Binta "Neneh" Barry I would like to thank all the past and present PSAs (the affectionate term for "psychosocial agents") and professional staff who contributed their expertise and experience to make this model successful and this notebook possible. Particular mention for those contributing directly to the notebook is due to Binta Barry, Jon Hubbard, Jean-Baptiste Mikulu, Alison Beckman, Diana Orlando and Carol White. Binta Barry and Carol White carried out a series of focus groups that enabled the voices of some of the PSAs and current professional staff to be reflected here. Special thanks goes to the initial project team: Jon Hubbard, psychologist and research director at CVT; Melinda Czaia, training director at CVT; Charles Ellmaker, former project director in West Africa; Andrea Northwood, psychologist and director of psychological services training at CVT; Ben Terlou, psychologist from the Netherlands; Jean-Baptiste Mikulu, child psychotherapist, who has been with the project since the beginning; and Bhava Poudyal, psychotherapist from Nepal, who is currently adapting this tactic in a project in Indonesia. — Nancy L. Pearson, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.
Binta Barry & Nancy L. Pearson
Binta Barry, affectionately called "Neneh" (mother) at just 25 years old, is a member of the Fullah tribe and was born in the Kono district of Koidu Town, Sierra Leone. She attended primary school in Kono, completed high school in Freetown, and sat for her O-level college entrance exams in 1997. While Binta had hoped to study medicine in the West and return later to her country to help her people, a rebel attack in 1997 forced her to flee to Guinea to escape the war raging in Sierra Leone. She was among the first refugees to receive training through the Center for Victims of Torture Refugee Mental Health Project and steadily gained skills and competence. In her fourth year with CVT, she became a training supervisor for other refugee mental health specialists and the international Special Court for Sierra Leone recently hired her as a psychosocial counselor. Working with a psychologist, she provides psychological and social assistance before, during and after trial to those who will be testifying about human rights abuses. She also provides training to protection officers and connects witnesses to other service organizations. Nancy L. Pearson, M.S.W., L.I.S.W., joined the CVT staff in April 1999 as a direct-service social worker, working with clients and trainers of Minnesota-based social service providers. She became the director of social services training in September 2000, providing training for CVT's state, national and international programs. Nancy was part of the initial team of trainers for the psychosocial agents in Guinea, providing training to two groups of 40 specialists in 2000 and 2001. She is currently the training manager of the New Tactics in Human Rights project. She received her bachelor of science in social work and sociology from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota and her master's in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.
Contact Information
CVT Refugee Mental Health Project Edie Lewison, West Africa Desk Officer Center for Victims of Torture 717 East River Road Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Phone: 612-436-4800 Fax: 612-436-2606 Binta: firstname.lastname@example.com Nancy: firstname.lastname@example.com
September 2004 Dear Friend, Welcome to the New Tactics in Human Rights Tactical Notebook Series! In each notebook a human rights practitioner describes an innovative tactic that was used successfully in advancing human rights. The authors are part of the broad and diverse human rights movement including nongovernment and government perspectives, educators, law enforcement personnel, truth and reconciliation processes, women's rights and mental health advocates. They have both adapted and pioneered tactics that have contributed to human rights in their home countries. In addition, they have utilized tactics that when adapted can be applied in other countries and other situations to address a variety of issues. Each notebook contains detailed information on how the author and his or her organization achieved what they did. We want to inspire other human rights practitioners to think tactically—and to broaden the realm of tactics considered to effectively advance human rights. In this notebook, we learn about building local and long-term capacity building within communities to address massive human rights atrocities. The Center for Victims of Torture has instituted an intensive training and supervision model for refugees to develop local capacity for providing understanding and skills for mental health support to rebuild communities after massive human rights atrocities. CVT has instituted the training model in refugee camps in Guinea and Sierra Leone for refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia. The model combines intensive, hands-on training of refugees with ongoing supervision. These refugee "mental health specialists" build their capabilities, provide individual and group therapy for traumatized individuals and use their skills toward rebuilding their own communities and support systems. There are currently 122 "mental health specialists" involved in this ongoing training and supervision model with thousands of refugees of all ages having received a wide variety of services. Devastating wars in every region of world have created massive number of refugees and internally displaced people who have witnessed or been victims of horrible human rights atrocities. This notebook may provide tactical ideas to those assisting these communities trying to rebuild their lives. The entire series of Tactical Notebooks is available online at www.newtactics.org. Additional notebooks will continue to be added over time. On our web site you will also find other tools, including a searchable database of tactics, a discussion forum for human rights practitioners and information about our workshops and symposium. To subscribe to the New Tactics newsletter, please send an e-mail to email@example.com. The New Tactics in Human Rights Project is an international initiative led by a diverse group of organizations and practitioners from around the world. The project is coordinated by the Center for Victims of Torture and grew out of our experiences as a creator of new tactics and as a treatment center that also advocates for the protection of human rights from a unique position—one of healing and reclaiming civic leadership. We hope that you will find these notebooks informational and thought-provoking. Sincerely,
Kate Kelsch New Tactics Project Manager
AN OVERWHELMING NEED Even as the w orld has witnessed substantial gains in t h e d evelo pme n t o f in t ern a tio n al mech a nisms t o monitor human rights violations and prosecute offenders, mass atrocities co n tin ue t o plag ue many co u ntries, inclu din g Sierra Le o n e. Th e n a tio n's p e o ple en d ured more t han a decade o f civil w ar, su ff erin g bru tality an d massive rig h ts violatio ns aimed at ripping apart the social fabric, undermining cultural and f amily values an d destroyin g commu nity leadership and structures. Sierra Leo ne, a co u n try o f ap proximately six millio n people, is composed of 20 tribes follo wing a variety of faiths—M uslim, indigenous and Christian. The country gained independence from Great Britain in 1961. Despite rich mineral and h uman resources, by 1990 Sierra Leone had one of the most ske w ed income distrib u tio ns, w it h 82 percen t o f t he p o p ulatio n livin g belo w the poverty line.1
Sierra Leonean communities w ere broken apart by the atrocities of the w ar. A nd many of the individuals w h o en d ured an d survived such atrocities remembered their experiences in silence. RESPONDING TO THE NEED CVT set out to respond to the overw helming needs of a re f u g e e p o p ula tio n t h a t h a d su f f ere d m assive atrocities and violence. Since 1985, CVT has been helping survivors o f politically motivated torture from more than 60 countries heal and rebuild their lives. W e have long recognized that the majority of torture 5 survivors, as w ell as survivors of w ar trauma,6 are unable to access rehabilitatio n services eve n if t h ey d o re ach rese t tle m e n t countries. Generally, they remain in refugee camps or displaced within their home country without ever receiving assistance. W hile most, given a supportive environment and an opportunity to be productive, are able to regain meaning and purpose and rebuild their lives without assistance or mental health interventions, there is still a small but significant number w ho need help to regain their resiliency. CVT had been seeking w ays to reach this population.
An eleven-year civil war provoked in 1991 by the Revolutionary United Front resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of over one-third of the population. The conflict caused more than 450,000 p e o ple t o fle e t o n eig h b orin g co u n tries—m ainly In 1999, CVT responded to the opportunity to provide Guinea an d Liberia—an d le f t an estimated o ne mil- mental health services for refugees living in the camps lion people internally displaced within the country. With surro u n din g G u éck é d o u, G uin e a, k n o w n as t h e the RUF conducting systematic and brutal assaults on Parrot's Beak region. Through interviews, observations the civilian population, survivors had witnessed or sur- and expressions o f need from re f ugees and NG Os vived brutal atrocities2 including mutilations, ampu- w orking in the area, CVT recognized the critical need tations, forced recruitment of children and adults as f or these services. It w as clear, ho w ever, that there soldiers, forced labor and horrendous sexual crimes. w as a greater need for services than an organization International observers described the situation: "The o f t his size an d capacity co uld provide. 7 As o ne o brebels so u g h t t o d ominate w omen an d t heir communities by deliberately undermining culStructure of the CVT Refugee Mental tural values and community relationships, deHealth Project in Sierra Leone stroying the ties that hold society together. Child January to December, 2003 co m b a t a n ts r a p e d w o m e n w h o w e r e o l d enough to be their grandmothers, rebels raped Mental health pregnant and breast f eeding mothers and f aprofessionals: thers w ere f orced to w atch their daughters 4 being raped." 3 Girls as young as seven or eight w ere used as sex slaves. Administrative A t the time the Center f or Victims o f Torture w as lau nchin g its pro gram in Guinea, t here w ere more than 300,000 Sierra Leonean ref ugees and more than 120,000 Liberian refugees in the country.4 Conservatively estimating that 5 to 10 percent of the refugee population could benefit from mental health interventions and needed more than social opportunities or skills training to regain their life functioning, 20,000 to 40,000 people w ere in need o f such assistance.
PSA training supervisors: 12 support positions/Team leaders: 10 PSAs in training: 74
Total: 86 PSAs providing services
server n o t e, " For every person directly victimized, there w ere 30 others w ho witnessed the atrocity or w ere m a d e t o act u ally perpetrate it. " 8 Th e t actic prese n t e d in this notebook w as developed for use in a post-conflict refugee setting with n o m e n t al h e alt h reso urces. Its core comp on e n t s a r e i n t e n si v e training and supervision, both used to build the capacity among refugees to p r o vi d e m e n t a l h e a l t h services within their o w n communities by serving as peer counselors (referred Psychosocial agents in Boreah, Guinea. Binta Barry is third from left in the top row. Courtesy of Linneke Sassen to in the project as psychosocial agents, or PSAs). The training and supervision are likely to overw helm existing mental health syso f f er " hands-on " experience to these peer counse- tems. A nd w hen help is available, the people most in lors w hile providing high-quality services to the target need may be unable to access it. They may fear being population—those in need of mental health services. targeted or arrested if they come forw ard; they may They combine practical experience w it h classro om 9 w orry about being labeled as "crazy" by their family training, monitoring and follow-up. In addition to pro- or community; they may fear being stigmatized if they viding much-needed mental health services, the peer reveal that they have been raped, that they are HIVcounselors are a tremendous legacy. If CVT should have positive, or that they have been forced to perpetrate to leave the region, these peer counselors will remain, violence on others. They may f ace other barriers as serving as significant resources in their communities. w ell: cultural ones such as language, religion or ethnic an d tribal dif f erences or discriminatio n; or financial CVT's long-term goal in West A frica is to build a w are- and logistical ones such as an inability to afford counness o f torture and o f mental health issues, at the seling sessions or to find transportation to those sessame time providing a corps of paraprofessionals with sions. the skills to deal with many of the mental health problems that exist in a post-w ar setting. CVT began the O ur intensive training and supervision model requires project f oreseein g that the participation o f pro f es- the commitment o f substantial resources in the earsional mental health staff on the ground w ould even- lier years, decreasing, albeit with increasingly positive tually be phased out and that a trained, cost-effective results, as time goes on. CVT's local logistical and adparapro f essio nal corps w o uld be in place f or use by ministrative staff also becomes increasingly qualified government institutions or other nongovernmental to take over tasks of organization and management. organizations and bodies. The model has been w ell received by the target population—th ose in need o f assistance—in the re f u gee Trainin g peer co u nselors can be a co n troversial an d and repatriated communities. dif ficult ch oice f or men tal healt h pro f essio nals. The medical profession's oath to " do no harm " creates a Initially, trained professionals provide services w hile burden of responsibility that many choose not to ac- re f u gee trainees st u dy psych olo gical co ncep ts an d cept. CVT created this intensive training and supervi- o bserve t heir practical ap plicatio n. Un der direct susio n mo del b o t h t o meet b o t h o ur resp o nsibility t o pervision, trainees then begin providing the services " do no harm " and to fill the overw helming demand themselves. O nce the PSAs are adequately prepared, from individuals and communities seeking to rebuild they are able to take on greater responsibilities, and their lives follo wing atrocities and violence. begin to conduct counseling sessions under limited supervision by the professional staf f. They also receive Rarely can traditio nal healin g met h o ds adeq uately more intensive training on a rotating basis, w orking ad dress mass atrocities an d commu nity violence, so side-by-side with the professional staf f to gain addif ar o u tside o f n ormal lif e experience. Even in co u n- tio nal experience w it h a ran ge o f clien ts, issues an d tries w here mental health professionals are available pro blems. The most promisin g trainees even tually to provide services, the consequences of mass horror take on the same responsibilities as the professional
Rebuilding Communities 7
sta f f, inclu din g t he su pervisio n o f o t her PSAs. CVT currently has over 120 PSAs in training in W est A frica (86 in Sierra Leo ne an d 42 in Guinea) an d plans t o expand this group in the coming years. This small cadre o f PSAs provides a w ide variety o f services to th o usands of people. CVT's experience of creating, instituting and continually adapting this intensive training and supervision model may provide insights to others seeking to address the overw helming needs of communities ravaged by massive atrocities and widespread violence.
Tactic development: Empowering survivors to become healers
Prior to setting up the program in Guinea, CVT conducted an initial survey of mental health needs in the Guéckédou region in the summer 1999. This survey included discussions with United Nations agencies and NG Os already w orking in the camps, meetings with refugee camp leaders to discuss the problems facing re f ugees, observations o f re f ugees and discussions with them about their needs and ho w they w ere trying to meet those needs. W e explored local capacity in relation to medical and mental health services and t he w ays in w hich traditio nal healers w ere able t o respo nd to the traumas experienced by their community members. W e also revie w ed the predominant models used for mental health interventions in similar situations. WHY TRAIN REFUGEES AS PEER COUNSELORS? O ur staff and resources w ere far too limited to meet the needs of the numerous people who could benefit from mental health services. A nd w hile an effort to assist the healing and rebuilding of these communities requires long-term commitment, w e recognized that w e could not guarantee our presence. Funding commitments to such programs are hard-w on and, in addition, even as we were developing the program, severe instability in t he regio n co n tin ued t o be t he norm. The desig n an d implemen tatio n o f t he tactic w as born from a strategic decision in w hich w e ackno wledged the practical constraints of human and material resources and decided on a goal of creating a local capacity to competently serve the community's mental healt h needs. O ur ch osen vehicle w as a mo del o f intensive refugee psychosocial training and supervisio n, used t o develo p t his lo n g-term capacity w hile also providing immediate mental health services.
When it comes to trauma, many times people will tell you, "They killed my Ma, they killed my Pa in the gross way. I'm a Christian, or I'm a Muslim, I keep praying to God that everything will go." Although it's hurting them, they are getting drugs, they are losing weight, they are not able to sleep. They have lots of problems. They have this anger problem in the communities and in the families. But whenever you approach them, they will tell you, "Well, it has already happened." And you find that you cannot blame them, because even myself, I didn't know that there was any treatment for trauma. All I felt was, when you are not able to sleep, you can take some pills or people can take wine or liquor and sleep. So people have been carrying their problems to the clinic, where they will go say, "Doctor, I can't sleep," and they give them medicine to sleep. "Doctor, I can't eat," and they give them vitamins to have an appetite. Now we join the CVT family and we have been talking to them, because we are all country people, and we talk to them in their local dialects and we are able to understand what is happening to them. But some, they say, "Oh! Maybe my Ma's spirit's behind me or my father's spirit's behind me" and this is why this is happening. They have never recognized it as trauma. But now we've been able to sensitize these people to know that these things happening are not mother's spirit behind you, it's not your grandfather's spirit, it is the trauma that is affecting you.
Liberian psychosocial agent
The training I received from CVT clinicians is actually guiding me to respond to some of the psychological needs in my community. Most women are coming to me for assistance and they trust me, they share their feelings with me in order for me to give some emotional support. It is challenging for me, but I am willing to go further with this as I have planned to help women in my community. I definitely want to continue to work in this field of psychology; I would try my best to see that I become an expert. I have seen that my community is benefiting, so it is a challenge for me. This has brought so many changes in my personal life, my family and also my community.
Binta Barry, Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
SETTING UP THE STRUCTURE This notebook will not detail all aspects of developing a community-based project. In any such project, ho wever, it is essen tial t o b uild su p p ort, u n derstan din g an d trust w it hin t he commu nity. W it h o u t t hat su pport, an intensive training and supervision model of this sort may not be possible. Recovery from t he kin d o f atrocities experienced by the people of Sierra Leone takes time. Because there w as no existing treatment center or professional staff available to provide services, w e needed a long-range and long-term commitment in order to develop this capacity within the community. Simply setting up the struct ure f or t he trainin g an d su pervisio n mo del required a number of components to be put in place.
How does the tactic work?
Psychosocial agents are selected from the re f ugee commu nity itself an d provide services t o t heir community through a hands-on training process with experienced mental health professionals.
Recruitment, for example, is a first and essential step in maintaining a pro f essional mental health sta f f to provide trainin g an d su pervisio n u n til t he PSAs can demonstrate their capacity to maintain the program an d provide services o n t heir o w n. This recruitmen t has been an ongoing challenge for us. It w as crucial to seek people with a base of experience in the field of severe trauma. It w o uld have been o p timal, in ad ditio n, t o recruit t hese pro f essio nals from w it hin t he re f u gee commu nity, b u t t his w as n o t p ossible in t he camps in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The staff have instead come from many countries—Australia, Chile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Kenya, Nepal, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Rw anda, Singapore, South A frica, Spain, Uganda, the United Kingdom and It's important to go beyond the résumé to give a small written academic skills exam. Résumés aren't always put together by the persons themselves. A subset of applicants were given an individual oral interview, followed by the group interview exercise where they were given a case study and told to discuss how to handle the situation. Later some community leaders in the camp situation advised CVT to try to represent the various ethnic groups in hiring as well, and this was honored. In choosing PSAs, CVT has found that those who were already in some kind of helping profession, like nursing or teaching, or volunteers in their religious organizations, became better PSAs.
the United States—and have varied professional backgrounds such as psychology, social work, psychiatry and psychiatric n ursin g. W hile t heir diversity has deeply enriched the project, the varied perspectives and concep t ual ap proaches t hey brin g have created challenges. Difficulties in communication and consistency can be confusing for PSAs learning such ne w skills and havin g t o adjust t o ne w su pervisors w it h t heir o w n styles and backgro u n ds. W e take particular care to maintain a standardized training curriculum and ensure consistency in the basic training information for the PSAs, even w hile preserving freedom for the prof essional sta f f to contribute their areas o f expertise and incorporate their various supervisory styles. The next step involves t he creatio n o f t he trainin g and supervision model. O ur goal w as to create a program that could blend lessons from W estern psychotherapy with local wisdom about trauma and recovery. The model is built around the supervision of hands-on training and skill-building opportunities derived from participatio n in actual men tal health services; these services include general referrals, individual casew ork, small groups, community-wide activities and interventio ns t hat incorp orate t he trainees' cult ural kn o w ledge. Finally, w e established a recruitmen t process t o fin d refugees ready and willing to make a long-term commitment to their community and to building their psychosocial skills through intensive, ongoing training and supervision. The remainder of this notebook focuses on this process of recruiting, training and supervising refugee peer counselors. RECRUITING & SELECTING PEER COUNSELORS The first application process for PSAs dre w more than 200 ap plican ts f or 40 p ositio ns. This w as n o t surprising, given that there are so few opportunities for refugees to find productive w ork. W e needed to develop a process that could identify people w ho had a genuine desire to help their fello w refugees, an open mind t o learn an d behaviors an d man ners t hat w o uld encourage members of the community to seek their assistance. The process includes an initial written application, with a possible follo w-up oral intervie w, a case study written test, a group intervie w experience and participation in an initial group training of five to seven days.
Michael Kariuki Kamau, professional staff from Kenya
I accompanied the clinicians [the professional staff ] to observe how they facilitate different groups and to also practice what I learned in theory. I benefited a lot from observing how the groups were going on. This is how I started until I became more confident in facilitating groups with the supervision of the clinicians. And I was later promoted as a program assistant, in order to be going round with the clinicians to facilitate groups. I found out that my people were interested in the program. They actually benefited from the services CVT was rendering to the refugees.
Binta Barry, Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
I started to love the nursing field. So I had in mind to be a nurse. I went for my first course. I started attending the university the first semester. I had in mind to do nursing up to the time war came. So I only did one semester and then I put it on the side. As soon as I came here as a refugee, at least I had the opportunity to come and start to work with CVT. So I'm very happy. Even if I become a nurse, a nurse is also a counselor—you have to know how to talk to people, how to become a good nurse. But if I have the opportunity now to go to a nursing school or I can have the opportunity to become a trained counselor and then I have a further training, I would really appreciate it, because I like the field, I enjoy it so much.
Applications In the refugee camps w here the CVT Refugee M ental Health Project seeks to provide services, a notice is posted requesting people to apply for the position of psychosocial agents. A pplicants submit a letter of application and a résumé.
Given that the majority o f re f ugees are w omen and children, CVT has sought w ays to ensure that w omen
Rebuilding Communities 9
Liberian psychosocial agent
Excerpts from written test for applicants for CVT Psychosocial Agent position
Note: The following excerpts and sample questions have been used to help CVT gain insights into each applicant's views about issues that refugees may face. Answers may indicate applicants' willingness to discuss these issues, their ideas about maintaining the confidentiality of what has been shared and their ability to explore options or viewpoints that might differ from their own. Those with very rigid ideas about how people should feel and behave do not make the best candidates for becoming peer counselors.
Dear Candidate, Be aware that the counselor in this case (a man in this example) does not necessarily act as a professionally trained counselor and can be improved in what he does. In the questions about the case you will have the opportunity to give your ideas about good counseling. The numbers in the text refer to the actions of the counselor, which you will be asked about later. A young woman of 17 years, called Fatmata, comes to the counselor to complain about headaches and stomach pains. The counselor refers her to the health clinic (1), but the client says she has been there already. She is hesitant to tell about the result of the medical consultation. The counselor then asks the woman if she has other problems (2). After much hesitation and silence, Fatmata tells about her fear of being pregnant. She doesn't want to be pregnant, she says. The counselor asks why she doesn't want to be pregnant (3), but Fatmata has great difficulty in telling this, she evidently doesn't really dare to come out with it. The counselor proceeds saying that it is difficult to help her if she doesn't tell what he needs to know (4).
The counselor asks who the father is (5). Fatmata doesn't want to say at first, but finally agrees to tell if the counselor will not tell it to anyone. The counselor refuses to do this (6) saying that it may be his task to go to the father and tell him his responsibility.
Sample Questions 1. After Fatmata has presented her complaints, the counselor immediately refers her to the clinic (see 1). Would you have done the same as the counselor? Please explain.
2. Do you think Fatmata was unwilling to be counseled? Please explain your opinion. 3. Fatmata says she's afraid to be pregnant, but is not willing to tell why. The counselor reacts by saying that she has to tell everything in order for the counselor to help her (see 4). Do you agree with the counselor that a client should tell everything in order to be helped? Please explain your answer. 4. The counselor asks who the father is (5) and does not accept the client's wish to keep it secret (6). Would you have done the same in this situation? Please explain your answer. 5. The counselor advises Fatmata to go to the father and tell him his responsibility. What do you think Fatmata will do? Will she do what the counselor advises? What other options may she have? What do you think of this advice? Would you have given the same advice? 6. Fatmata came with certain expectations to the counselor. What do you think is the feeling of Fatmata after this counseling session? Would she feel content with it? What is it she may have expected when she decided to go see the counselor?
have t he o p p ort u nity t o become PSAs. 10 W e have also w orked to ensure representation of the ethnic groups in the re f ugee camps w here w e o f f er services.
Case study written test People can generally identify those they think are d oin g w ell in t heir commu nity an d t h ose w h o are n o t, even t h o u g h t hey may n o t talk ab o u t t his in terms of mental health. 11 W e w anted to give applicants an example they could relate to and in doing so provide ourselves with an opportunity to evaluate ho w applicants perceive and respond to such a situation. The same case study example is also used during the group intervie w process and in the initial training period, to help ne w PSAs understand basic areas o f skill develo pmen t req uired f or becomin g competent counselors in their communities.
A pplicants take a written test describing the actions o f a co u nselor an d a clien t d urin g an act ual case,
and w e have developed a general rating system to assess the applicants' ability to convey their reactions. W e are interested to kno w ho w these answ ers might re flect up o n their ten dencies to w ard empathy f or another's situation and openness for exploring alternatives without critical judgment of another person an d his or her sit uatio n. If t here are sig nifican t discrepancies among the raters, the raters discuss their rationales until an agreement can be reached. This is particularly important given our desire to include applicants w ho may not be proficient in English.
Group intervie w Base d u p o n t h e w rit t e n a p plica tio n le t t ers a n d résumés, the written tests and considerations of gender and ethnic composition, certain applicants are selected t o participate in a gro u p in tervie w. This w as initially done by the expatriate sta f f. As PSAs have gained experience an d been promo ted t o p ositio ns w it h ad ditio nal resp o nsibilities, t hey have been included in the process of selecting ne w candidates.
Can didates are t hen placed in gro u ps o f five t o six people and asked to discuss a specific topic w hile the professional staff and experienced PSAs observe their group process. W e learned from trial and error that it is help f ul t o use a case st u dy t o stimulate discussio n and obtain a better sense of the applicants and their communication styles and openness. The observation focuses on verbal and nonverbal behaviors, group management, participation in the discussion and the ability o f applican ts to relate to o ther gro up members, including those of the opposite sex. A pplican ts are rated accordin g to these areas, w ith co nsideratio n given t o gro u p dynamics. W e are n o t expecting candidates to arrive with skills in group managemen t or co u nselin g. Rat her, w e are seekin g t o o bserve natural ten dencies an d behaviors. W e have
found, for example, that those who constantly attempt t o d ominate discussio ns, give directives or advice t o other members of the group, or consistently ignore or belittle other group members are not the best candidates for training. These situations provide sta f f w ith an excellen t o pp ort u nity t o o bserve. If o ne participan t is tryin g t o dominate the entire discussion, ho w do other members o f the group attempt to intervene or steer the participant to w ard including others? If a participant is disregarding or belittling the opinion of a woman participan t, h o w d o o t her members react or try t o include her? This group experience becomes a concrete example with w hich chosen candidates begin to learn about group dynamics and is revisited during the ongoing training process. INITIAL TRAINING PERIOD Selected can didates participate in an initial training session; five to seven days in length, and with anywhere from 20 to 45 participants, this training takes place outside o f the ref ugee camp t o help t he can didates b o n d as a team w hile they begin learning the basic skills they will use immediately upon accepting their PSA position. O ur first approaches to this initial training period taught us important lessons. A t first, for inst a nce, t h e trainin g p erio d last e d t w o w eeks. W e found that w e w ere including too much information to fully digest and incorporate in such a sh ort time an d t h us adjusted this initial training to focus on t w o central elemen ts: an in tro d uctio n t o t he overall missio n an d g oals o f t he CVT Re f u gee M en tal Health Project and the building of skills that the new PSAs would need to begin upon their return to the camps. The bulk of the initial training is dedicated to the collective exploration of concepts in mental healt h an d o f co pin g styles used t o deal with life stresses. These discussions are informative to both the ne w PSAs and the professional staff. Subjects include: • Ho w the e f f ects o f w ar and torture have manifested in individuals, families and communities. • Ho w the PSAs themselves and their communities describe the physical, psychological an d social e f f ects o f trauma. A lt h o u g h t hey may not use clinical terms (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, social withdra w al), they do describe these general and pervasive symptoms. This is an important part of the process for the professional staff, w ho learn the perceptions of the refugees and the terms used within the community to describe these behaviors. The pro f essional sta f f are
Rebuilding Communities 11
I am a Sierra Leonean refugee aged 27, living in Guinea since 1991. CVT hired me last year to work and serve fellow refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone living here in Guinea. I initially had no idea about the work. CVT began to train me in various skills, concepts, principles and approaches. I work with the adult males and training is ongoing. This training has enabled me to successfully treat a man who was isolated and wanted to end his own life because of bitter experiences he faced in the war. After some time of my interactions with him, he has now adopted positive coping styles and is hopeful for his future.
Guinean psychosocial agent
It was made particularly apparent to me how staff is benefiting from training when I did training on posttraumatic stress symptoms. As we went through each category, I asked the staff if they had known anyone or experienced any of the symptoms. I was amazed with the examples they offered from their own life and how they nodded in agreement when one person spoke about their experiences. When I finished the symptom list, one of the PSAs exclaimed, "You have just described us!" While there was a certain sadness in the room from the remembering and sharing of past experiences, there was also a feeling of excitement. I had this sense from the PSAs that they understood not only what had been happening with their own mental health, but also that were beginning to understand that this was a normal reaction and one that was shared by their colleagues. And, of course, by understanding their own experiences and reactions, I believe this has helped them to be better workers in the field.
Alison Beckman, social worker, supervisor in Guinea
We are operating in several villages. In all these areas are villagers who've suffered from the brutal war. We go into the community. We sensitize people. They have these problems and you can even identify them by looking at them. So when we identify them, sometimes we put them into groups for group counseling. There are some cases that are dealt with individually, individual counseling. We also conduct family counseling when necessary, and we also provide sometimes a little after-care for them, after going through the counseling cycle. We are supervised here by one clinician, conducting training for PSAs and in turn these PSAs go to implement this to their people.
Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
Topics covered in initial training Outline of topics covered in the didactic segment of training for new psychosocial agents:
• • • • • • • • •
Boreah, Guinea, women's department. Courtesy of Linneke Sassen.
Introduction to CVT and the CVT Refugee Mental Health Project. Role of the PSA. Competencies required for the PSA job. Duties of a PSA, in detail. Impacts of war and torture. How to identify survivors of torture and war trauma. How to sensitize the community to the effects of war. How to observe and interpret behavior. How to build basic counseling and interpreting techniques.
thus better able to relate to both PSAs and members of the community as they w ork to sho w ho w t hese behaviors may be co pin g mechanisms or reactions to traumatic experiences. Such discussions also provide clues for identifying strengths and path w ays to healing. Skills training, w hich highlights the skills and concepts the PSAs will need as they begin their w ork. These include understanding confidentiality and the rationale behind it, active listening, w ays o f offering support, collaborative problem-solving and basic skills in being and using an interpreter.
services t o t he most vulnerable amo n g t he p o p ulatio n in t he camps an d commu nities w here w e o perate. W e use a variety o f tech niq ues to w ard this aim. The in terven tio ns are desig ned t o provide hig h-q uality mental health and support services w hile PSAs are learning and building their skill capacities. For example:
PSAs don't " graduate " from training and supervision. They co n tin ue t o receive in divid ual trainin g an d supervision in: • the fundamentals and development o f communication and counseling; • a w areness, identification, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of trauma victims; • integration of social and community activities for the targeted population facing difficulties coping with the past, present and future; and • Client assessment and follow-up (every one, three, six and 12 months). PSA ROLES & ONGOING TRAINING & SUPERVISION In refugee settings in Guinea and in to w ns and commu nities in Sierra Leo ne, CVT co n tin ues t o develo p focused information campaigns for trauma and mental health a w areness. O ur experiences both inside and outside of camp environments suggest that refugee communities are not only open to ne w mental health concepts but eagerly seek information about solutions t o t h e ir psych o l o g ica l p r o b l e ms. C V T se e ks t o demystify the behaviors and emotional difficulties that result from trauma and to redefine these difficulties as issues of health instead of perceived external causes such as possession by witches and devils. CVT provides
Individual counseling and family/home visitation are provided f or all clien ts as part o f t he in divid ual an d gro u p processes. Some may receive more extensive in divid ualized at ten tio n; t h ose w h o can n o t immediately bene fit from a gro u p experience, for example, are helped individually until they build more self-confidence and rebuild or adapt their support systems. These efforts provide brief, solution-oriented counseling to w ard client empo w erment. Small group counseling (groups of six to ten people) allo ws clien ts w ith similar pro blems to help and support each another emotionally by sharing problems and coping mechanisms. Depending on their problems, guidelines are prepared with topics for discussio n an d exploratio n. Gro u ps meet f or six to ten sessions. Clients are empo w ered to look at their problems in a different w ay, to resolve them or to integrate them into their lives in harmless w ays w hile stabilizing their emotional lives. As a part of the small group experience, members visit each o ther bet w een sessions to enco urage and b uild social su p p ort o nce t he gro u p experience has been completed. Large-group and community interventions provide support to the counseling process and take a variety of forms: For issues including torture, w ar and mental health issues, w e use community dialogue, mass education, dramatizations and roleplaying and sensitization to the issues; there are also cult ural activities, games, sp orts an d t he
therapeutic exercise of livelihood skills such as tailoring, needle w ork and hairdressing. O ne indicator of PSAs' progress in training is that they are able to carry out these various roles in the project and community. A ne w PSA, for example, first participates in these activities by observing the professional sta f f and other more experienced PSAs perf orming t hese roles. The PSA co n tin ues t o b uild skills by cof acilitating these activities with a pro f essional sta f f member an d w orks t o w ard leadin g his or her o w n activities without direct supervision but with post-activity debriefing with professional staf f. Senior PSAs continually improve their skills, using discussions with the supervisor to reflect upon the activities in a more in-depth manner. Clearly, supervision by trained mental health professionals is essential to providing high-quality services and mental health interventions. The professional can ensure that PSAs develop the level of competency req uired t o ad dress clien t needs. As PSAs develo p an d demonstrate their skills in meeting these needs, the intensity of direct supervision can be reduced to maintain support w hile continuing to build the PSAs' confidence and competency. And as this competence grows, PSAs come to recognize counseling issues as they arise, understand the dif ficulty of dealing with such issues an d realize t hey must co n tin ue t o re flect u p o n each
experience in order to learn and modify the methods used for healing.
PSA role: Community liaison in the sensitization process PSAs play a major role in sensitizing the community to the impact of torture and w ar trauma on members of the community and to the benefits people can receive from the CVT program. PSAs conduct community outreach through dramatizations and role-playing, messages on T-shirts, door-to-door visits in the community and meetings with the re f ugee camp leaders; they also connect with international NG O and United Natio ns pro grams t o set u p commu nicatio n an d re f errals to provide refugees with needed services. PSA role: Peer counselor Taking on the role of peer counselor is a step-by-step process. PSAs begin by assistin g w it h large activity groups structured to provide therapeutic support to participating community members—for children, adolescents and adults. M ost of the hands-on training and supervision then takes place within small therapeutic gro u p set tin gs, desig ned t o help reb uild social su pports for participants w hile providing an opportunity for PSAs to learn ne w skills. During the sessions, PSAs are given the opportunity first to observe and then to assist the professional staff in group facilitation until the staf f determine they are ready to take over the f acilitatio n o f t heir o w n small gro u ps an d t o meet with clients on their o w n as peer counselors.
The small gro u p experiences help red uce social isolatio n, provide an o p p ort u nity t o reconnect with others, and empo w er them to both receive and give social support. The experiences of torture and war coupled with the daily stresses o f re f ugee camp lif e can push people further into isolation. PSAs provide an initial connection by visiting potential gro u p members in t heir h omes, t hen encouraging group participants to visit other members bet w een sessions. PSAs meet with pro f essional sta f f prior to and a f ter each small group session to prepare for the small group process, then discuss ho w the process evolved and ideas for the session to come. The trainin g an d su pervisio n process provides an opportunity for the PSAs to explore t heir o w n experiences an d h o w t hey co pe with understanding the difficulties of others.
We made the community to understand that the signs and symptoms of war trauma are all normal to human life. Because you know you cannot forget about what you experienced, but we make it possible to live with the experiences that they have by way of processing. By that I mean that they will understand what they went through, what is happening to them or what symptoms are happening to them because they experienced certain things from their home before coming here. For instance, when we go in the community here to sensitize people, we are talking about these symptoms of war trauma, and you find people admitting, saying, "Oh yes, I can feel this way, I can feel that way. I don't sleep at night, I worry too much, I think too much about my people I left behind." So we try to normalize these feelings, related to war trauma and the bitter experiences people go through during conflict.
Liberian psychosocial agent
I enjoyed the group training. We work together and are able to brainstorm as to how to solve problems. When a client complains of lack of sleep, there was supervision on how to counsel a person to overcome that problem. I really enjoyed the supervision to help solve these problems. When it comes to the formal training, I have really benefited.
Liberian psychosocial agent
I have worked with many different clinicians and I have learned a lot from them all. I started chasing clinicians to teach me more, on how to handle different cases and also to go deep into communication skills, in order for me to be more skilled to help my people.
Binta Barry, Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
PSA role: Trainer W hen PSAs have develo ped skills an d capacity, they are also given the role of trainer f or o thers—assistin g in trainin g ne w PSAs as w ell as in providing community trainings. W hen w e have asked PSAs w hat makes a
Rebuilding Communities 13
good trainer, they have responded that the essential qualities are the same f or the mental health pro f essional sta f f as f or the PSAs themselves: • respect for the area's cultural beliefs • ability to assess PSA skills • willingness to be supervised closely, including debriefing after every counseling session • a w areness of the differences bet w een academic success and success in the field. SUPERVISION As each PSA's capacity is developed, more opportunities for leadership, training and supervision of others is encouraged and provided. The project's professional staff continue to provide ongoing supervision, training and support. Dr. A thanase Hagengimana, pro f essional sta ff from Rw anda, describes the supervision and the outcomes o f t he trainin g: "I've arran ged f or PSAs t o begin supervisin g o t hers in t he commu nity w h o are directly training and counseling community members—such as Christian and M uslim religious leaders. A fter a sessio n, t he PSA debrie fs w it h t he leader, givin g advice an d f eed back. This met h o d has exten ded t he in fluence o f CVT t o t he majority o f t he commu nity. The PSAs describe their in fluence o n the Jembe camp as profound. People no w kno w each other and talk with each other in the community, there is much less beating of children, and the PSAs are regularly called upon to solve problems and give advice on parenting in the community."
On the community level, community leaders are the first authority here over the camp population. There were a lot of things that the camp population did that were misconstrued by the community leaders. Based upon the training, it has come to our attention that most of these things that the community dwellers do are normal reactions to trauma. The community leader would look at it as being a misbehavior, where of course it is really normal for the person to behave in that way because of some things they underwent as they were running away from the war in Liberia. The community leaders were really behaving in the past out of ignorance. And so based upon the training, this has brought a very good effect on the community. The community leaders now understand that somebody behaving a certain way is the result of certain things he has experienced. That has been a very good impact, a significant impact.
Liberian psychosocial agent
I once was in a case wherein the client was faced with marital issues. She was having problems with the husband. The husband wanted to abandon her and take another wife. I had to do problem-solving constantly with this client. We were able to work on strategies and then focus at the point wherein the problem was solved. Now this client, she's really happy, the home is settled and she even promised that if she ever has any further problems she'll be willing to explain them to me. These are some of the activities that people here need in the communities.
Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
What new personal capacity have I developed from the training? I can now be used to train other PSAs. There was a workshop that was held here and we, the PSAs, trained the community workers. So during that time I was able to train someone else who will be able to work in the community, who will be able to help others in the community. The objective of this training was that, when they go back, they should be able to sensitize their churches, their mosques and their communities about mental health. W hile this tactic has made it possible for PSAs to provide much-needed services to re f u gees and to repatriated an d reco nstructin g commu nities, it has also made a significant impact upon the PSAs themselves. The training and supervision received by the PSAs has often changed their o w n lives and that of their families in w ays that can be both positive and challenging. Some have expressed a desire to continue in the field of mental health w hen they have the opportunity to return to their o w n communities. The tactic provides the target populations with ne w w ays to share and understand information about individual and social development that can give insights into past and present behaviors w hile offering opportunities for making different choices. O ne additional outgro w th of the tactic has been CVT's dialogue with the M inistry of Health in Sierra Leone to encourage educational institutions to provide mental health trainin g, especially in the area o f trauma,
Impact & outcomes of the tactic
A bout 120 psychosocial agents have been trained, at different levels of capacity, since the beginning of the W est A frican program in 1999. These PSAs, along with the mental health professionals, have provided direct service (individual counseling and small group therapy) to 5,000 clients. There have also been approximately 20,000 additional beneficiaries via community sensitization and large-group activities. O ur model w as pu t to the test early w hen, in 2000 an d 2001, rebel incursio ns in t o Guinea f orced CVT's administrative and pro f essional sta f f to evacuate a number of times. Ultimately, the O ffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees decided to relocate the entire refugee population residing in the Parrot's Beak region farther a w ay from the border areas. O ur model proved e f f ective even this early in the program's implementation. The PSAs continued t o w ork o n t heir o w n d urin g t hese perio ds o f hig h uncertainty and provided critical support services to t heir commu nities—calmin g f ears an d organizin g meetin gs t o determine commu nity an d in divid ual ch oices regardin g t he decisio n t o relocate t he re f ugee population.
as they rebuild. CVT is also pursuing the possibility that PSAs could be tested and provided with a certificate or credentials that w ould validate their training and skills and that could be presented in professional settings beyond the project. Currently, for example, there is a pro p osal t o combine t he pro gram o f su pervised field experience with w eekend classroom w ork (12 hours per w eek), in partnership with the Department o f Social W ork, w it h t he g oal o f a w ardin g a o ne- or tw o-year degree in mental health counseling, perhaps combined with a recently initiated program for HIV/ AIDS counseling. This is especially important as there is an insu f ficien t men tal health w ork f orce in Sierra Leo ne an d many o t her co u n tries o f A frica. The PSA cadres could help Sierra Leoneans and others returning home in post-con flict situations to deal with the psychological ef fects o f torture or w ar trauma; with related issues such as traumatic grief and depression; with perpetrators and reintegration of child soldiers; an d w it h o t her pro blems such as f amily co n flict, d omestic violence an d child ab use, sexual assault an d HIV/AIDS. Fu n din g such projects is an o n g oin g challen ge. Resources continue to be available on a limited basis for refugee communities, but raising support for returnee commu nities has been very dif ficult. It is as yet u nkno w n w hether trained PSAs will have opportunities t o co n tin ue in a similar capacity w orkin g w it h o t her
international NG Os, NG Os in developing countries, or government institutions.
Lessons learned & challenges: Taking the tactic to other contexts
O ur tactic w as first implemented in refugee camps in Guinea, adap ted f or direct use in commu nities in Sierra Leone with returning refugees and internally displaced people and later used in refugee camps in Sierra Leone and Guinea set up for Liberians fleeing renewed co n flict in t heir co u n try. In t his sectio n o f t he n o tebook w e discuss considerations for using our tactic in o t h er co n t exts—b o t h t h ose t h a t involve m assive atrocities and community violence and others that may not. M embers of other professional fields, particularly the medical and legal fields, have used training mode ls f o r p a r a p r o f essi o n a ls t o p r ovi d e se rvices t o underserved and remote communities and may be able to learn from and adapt some o f the ideas presented here. O ur tactic provides an empo w ering cap acity-b uildin g process t o m e e t urg e n t n e e ds o f individuals and communities w hile addressing the responsibility to " do no harm." Since it is crucial to consider how to reach the individuals and communities in need, we suggest that you consider the follo wing recommendations w hen exploring this area o f w ork. OVERCOME FEAR & STIGMA IN COMMUNITIES REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES The issue o f stigma must be addressed to open the w ay for individuals and communities to recognize the impact of massive community violence. CVT's experience w orking with resettled refugee communities in the United States reinforces the need to provide psych osocial ed ucatio n n o t o nly t o t he ne w ly reset tled communities, but also to the professional community an d general p o p ulatio n as w ell. Even in co u n tries w here mental health pro f essionals are available to provide services, it cannot be assumed that these professionals are experienced in dealing with the trauma of w ar and torture. The p o p ulatio ns most in need o f men tal healt h services often require the assistance of other community members to identify and reduce barriers to accessing help, yet those suffering are most often isolated from their natural support systems. Consider the wide variety of barriers that may hinder people from receiving information or accessing available help. DEVELOP COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT & OWNERSHIP OF THE PROGRAM Great attention and dedication is needed to engage and cultivate community involvement. This is true for gainin g moral as w ell as material su p p ort. In CVT's experience, community investment and o w nership is heightened w hen community members are solicited to provide their time, participation and labor to build
Rebuilding Communities 15
Description of PSA roles in practice
• • • •
Community sensitization to the effects of torture and war. Identification of clients having difficulty coping. Pre-assessment with clients (interview and determination of traumatic events and coping). Referrals to other organizations (e.g., food supplies, refugee registration and health care facilities) or to the CVT team for a clinical assessment by professional staff that may also result in referrals to other service organizations. Referral and provision of services for intervention strategies: individual, group/family and/or community therapeutic interventions (may also include further education for parents and the client's community). The intervention strategies generally follow a 10- to 12-week cycle of service provision. Follow-up with clients; takes place during the treatment process as well as after provision of services (one month, three months, or six months) to measure the level of client improvement (for research and outcome measures) and to improve service provision and treatment interventions. Provision of information to the community and assistance in advocacy activities.
meeting places for small-group and individual counseling and the necessary. This participatio n has result e d in gre a t er o p e n n ess a m o n g t h e g e n eral community toward learning about the effects of war trauma and torture, reducing the barriers o f f ear and stigma that might have prevented some from seeking help. PREPARE FOR A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT The intensive training and supervision model is e ffective but requires the organization, pro fessional staff and PSA trainees to commit themselves to engaging in a long-term education and skill-building process. The hands-on supervision model has proven to be an e f f ective w ay to teach and demonstrate skills for providing services and mental health interventions. And the small therapeutic group size is ideal for helping to rebuild connections and social support systems a f ter community devastation. But this capacity-building takes place over the course of many groups and counseling sessions. It takes time for peer co u nselors t o gain co n fidence an d competence in group skills, facilitation and leadership. It is important to recognize that many PSAs will not have the interest or ability to develop all skills, particularly those needed to facilitate small groups and provide peer counseling without ongoing direct professional supervision. Professional supervisors must there f ore plan to manage trainees with dif f erent ap titudes an d to move some PSAs in to o ther kin ds of support roles w here they will develop the capacity t o w ork in depen den tly an d provide su p p ort t o those PSAs w ho do move into levels of greater skill development and responsibility. MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING & SUPERVISION In our experience, finding and maintaining the prof essional sta f f to carry ou t the trainin g an d su pervision has been one of the biggest challenges, and it has taken considerable human and material resources. CVT maintained ongoing advertisements in a wide variety o f regio nal an d in ternatio nal net w orks f or pro f essio nal sta f f an d co n tin ued t o ru n t hese even w hen p ositio ns had been filled in order t o ensure a stable and adequate number of professionals in the project at all times. W hether the professionals come from within or outside the country, skilled expertise is essential to implement this tactic. It is not realistic to expect semi-skilled people to train and supervise unskilled people regarding complicated psychological trauma. Pro f essional sta f f have generally remained in the project for about a year, although the project has been f ortunate to have some w ho have stayed f or much longer. Because of the need to incorporate the kno wl16
It became very important to train the trainer—to teach the PSAs how to train the community in what to expect from a community mental health program, because at first no one was coming for services. At first it was also necessary for clinicians to devise a method of explaining the effects of war trauma on community functioning. But now, about 85 percent of the PSAs are able to plan and carry out a community sensitization.
Michael Kariuki Kamau, professional staff from Kenya
When I left Liberia, I ran from war. I came into Sierra Leone to seek refuge and lucky for me I came across the CVT. But going through the functions of CVT up to date, really I'm highly impressed, I'm determined to join the field of counseling and I think previously I stated that I'm feeling proud that I'm equipped. Tomorrow, if I go back to Liberia I think I will stay and continue in that direction.
Liberian psychosocial agent
Since CVT came [to Sierra Leone] it is only based in these camp areas. But Sierra Leone has been a post-war country. So there are victims in some areas that CVT is not able to go there or will not be able to open the centers there. I'd like to be trained also as a counselor in order to work for my communities.
Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
And for my family, let me say, at first, before I started working for CVT, I used to be a hot mother. I used to beat on my children, because immediately if you misbehave I would discipline you. But now I know how to carry on my discipline and I know when and where. I know how to talk to my children more, especially when [the professional staff ] taught about the stages of children. Now I developed more skills there.
Sierra Leonean psychosocial agent
edge of professionals from different backgrounds, of the PSAs and of the broader refugee community, it is important to find pro fessionals w ho are open to exploring and incorporating a wide variety of approaches to mental health and training methodologies. Experienced administrative staff members are needed for maintaining logistical support systems, including communication and coordination. A ttention to building local staf f capacity in these skills is highly important for long-term sustainability. CVT has been f ortu nate to find pro f essio nals from many regio ns o f t he w orld w illin g t o dedicate t heir skills and expertise in very demanding, unstable and unpredictable situations. Refugee camps and returnee communities are often isolated and difficult to reach, especially during tropical rainy seasons. Not only has this made it challenging to sustain activities and maintain consistency in ongoing training and supervision, but the isolation creates an additional burden on professionals accustomed to having access to other professionals for consultation—in person, by telephone or electronically—and other resources such as librar-
ies. The reality o f being cut o f f from these resources adds to the overall stress for the professional and refugee staff. Although professionals have expressed their general satisfaction with having had an opportunity to use their expertise in this manner and to gain valuable experience, co n ditio ns d o make it dif ficult f or them. DEVELOP A STANDARD BASE CURRICULUM THAT IS PRACTICALLY ORIENTED & SUSTAINED BY ONGOING SUPERVISION Due to the diversity and constant changes in pro fessional sta f f, a variety o f curricula f or trainin g PSAs emerged from the various pro fessional staf f serving in the project. W e needed, then, to consolidate these curricula for better consistency of information, skillbuilding and evaluation. Although flexibility is needed to develop creative w ays of responding to community needs, the basic information taught to each batch of The materials we've been receiving really are, if we can grade them... all college-related materials and most of us have gone to some areas that maybe others working have not really reached. I'm looking at the vision for CVT, and even with my own self, with respect to the future again. Maybe from Sierra Leone CVT will be pulling out, maybe two or three years from now, I don't know the time. But whatever will be the time, sooner or later, our training needs to be validated. Whether we be will used, whether we will be working with CVT in Liberia or we continue working here, I think our training needs to be validated.
PSA trainees requires consistency. This serves to reinforce psychosocial information for old and ne w PSAs, as w ell as for the community at large. ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON STAFF There is a pressing need to ackno wledge the ongoing stress on PSAs and the professional staff, stress caused by the scarcity o f basic necessities and o f opportunities for refugees to get on with their lives in a productive w ay. Early in the development of the project CVT made a strategic decision not to provide material supp ort. As a small organizatio n, w e realized that w e needed t o f ocus o ur h uman an d material reso urces on providing the training and supervision for psychosocial capacity-building of refugees. Clients w ho, aft er m e n t al h e alt h services, b eca m e re a dy t o use material resources to w ard self- and family sufficiency w ere referred to United Nations agencies and other international NG Os to seek such resources. The lack of access to psychiatric medications for those w h o need t hem is a sig nifican t pro blem t hat also places tremendous stress upon the pro fessional and re f u gee sta f f. In Guinea an d Sierra Leone, the o nly option w as to send clients to the main cities—an optio n generally beyo n d t he reso urces o f re f u gee an d repatriating populations. The isolation of refugee camps and returnee communities makes it difficult to find recreational outlets to reduce stress f or the pro f essional and re f ugee sta f f. The re f u gee sta f f are in a particularly dif ficult p ositio n, as t hey fin d t hemselves " o n d u ty " 24 h o urs a day. As the community becomes more accustomed to recognizing the help that the PSAs can offer, the PSAs in turn have less and less time f or themselves and their o w n families for rest and recuperation. MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY It is also important to recognize the difficulty of maintaining confidentiality in refugee camps and small community settings. Take time to instill a w areness of the need for confidentiality and develop mechanisms to u p h old t his essen tial principle f or t he provisio n o f mental health services. BUILD ON COMMUNITY STRENGTHS W herever possible, engage people w orking with existing resources in the community and assist them in e x p a n d i n g t h e ir o w n ca p aci t y t o a d d r ess t h e community's needs. Take time to evaluate community resources and needs. Identify community leaders and determine w hat resources are available for referrals such as health posts, community health officers, natural and trained helpers (such as traditional birth attendants and religious leaders) and organized groups. Utilize community leaders to help identify venues for the w ork. In our expeRebuilding Communities 17
Liberian psychosocial agent
Our training has had a great impact on the building up of the community people. You would see that every day there would be lots of fighting maybe between wife and husband or... family to family. But from the training we have been attending here, especially when it comes to problem-solving, when it comes to family counseling, we have been a help to some of these community people. Some of us have overtime work now. We are sleeping at times and trouble happens somewhere. Maybe even if it is not in your community, but people know you are working with CVT. They come to your place and tell you, "If you do not come, our community will not sleep tonight." And we want to be thankful to CVT that, whenever we reach into places like that, the people are going to recognize us. And they are able to pay attention to us and we are able to talk to them and sometimes have them schedule for counseling here. We get them help, so that they can have respect and love for one another in the community. So I will really say that it is because of this training, all of us whose job it is to go back and challenge one another in the community where the police or other authorities in the camps always have to come and arrest people. Now CVT workers can at least go somewhere and try to bring in some peace, have people unite in the community. So that is one great impact I think our training has had on the community.
Liberian psychosocial agent
rience, particularly positive community investment resulted w hen the community donated space or labor f or a venue. CVT alw ays promises to leave the buildings to the community if the project should end. W hen seeking a community in w hich to provide services, besides looking at the trauma prevalence in the community, try as hard as possible to find a secure area with access to a main road. The use o f cult ural tech niq ues from t he commu nity empo w ers PSAs and the community to influence, contrib u te t o an d participate in t he project. It is imp ortant to adjust approaches to fit the local context, issues and needs. For example, w hen UNHCR moved the Sierra Leonean re f ugees to ne w camps deeper inside Guinea, it w as important to provide support to help re f u gees set tle in t o t heir ne w surro u n din gs an d t o give the re f ugees, PSAs and CVT pro f essional sta f f time to evaluate the conditions. Be sure t o b uild mechanisms f or u n derstan din g an d overcoming cultural barriers, including barriers of language, religion, ethnicity or tribe. Refugees, the PSAs w orking w ith them and the pro f essio nal sta f f o f ten find themselves having to communicate with people w ho do not speak their language or understand their religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds. Serving as an interpreter is one of the first skills that PSAs need t o develo p an d o ne o f t he first roles t hey must perform. This is a difficult, yet essential, skill to have w hen the professional mental health staff are coming from outside the community in w hich the PSAs will provide services. A ny gro u p seekin g t o ad o p t t his tactic, in w hatever context, should be a w are of this issue. It is essen tial t o develo p a system o f collab oratio n, commu nicatio n an d mu t ual re f errals w it h o t her organizations, groups, leaders and healers in the commu nity. In t he re f u gee camps, collab oratio n w it h United Natio ns agencies an d in ternatio nal NG Os is especially imp ortan t f or co n nectin g re f u gees t o t he services that can benefit them most. Traditional healers and natural helpers, b o th in the re f ugee camps and in repatriated communities, can often be key to referrals f or services.
I didn't know that torture was anything bad. We have been doing it either on the domestic violence side or we have been experiencing torture and never taken it to be anything bad, not until when we joined the CVT family. We were able to come up with some programs and role-play on torture and what is the effect it has on people, teaching us what torture will do to people and the dangerous part about torture. We began to sensitize communities against torture when they came and celebrated the training day with us. We had police and administrators here who were working on a problem, "What if a thief was arrested for maybe stealing... in the camp. What would you do to him?" Some would say the first thing we get him to confess who are the people [who are] stealing.... Some would say we tell him that we take desperate measures against him. Some would say we put him on the pole and torture him until he will say the truth. There were lots of ways of torture that people expressed, that they can punish people to come up with a confession. And from there we came to explaining to them the danger involved in these things. The impact it will have on the people being tortured. They were able to take the messages back and sensitize the community on the effects of torture.
Liberian psychosocial agent
It's hard for [PSAs] to overcome their guilt when clients come with expectations for a solution to their problem that usually involves some material support like a soap-making venture or money for food.
Michael Kariuki Kamau, professional staff from Kenya
The casualties o f contemporary w ar are disproportionately found in civilian populations. In W orld W ar I, just 5 percent o f the casualties o f w ar w ere civilians. Today, ho w ever, that number is greater than 90 percent.12 Those w ho survive have all too often witnessed firsthand the horrors and atrocities o f w ar and yet must f ace the mo n umen tal tasks o f reb uildin g their lives an d commu nities as t hey simultaneo usly co pe with loss and devastation. This tactic w as developed by the Center for Victims of Torture to build long-term capacity by training refugees themselves to provide psychosocial support within refugee and w ar-torn communities. W e believe it can be use f ul t o t h ose f aced n o t o nly w it h re f u gee an d displaced commu nities, b u t w it h o t her sit uatio ns in w hich communities are trying to recover from trauma with limited resources and tremendous need.
In the community, if even you are traveling through the community, you know that with all the camps that are here, Jembe has been the only one that CVT has really been working in. So even if you walk in the community you will see that Jembe is a clean community. The people here have been empowered to be able to do something for themselves. They can clean up their own area now, they can wash their things, since most of them have been here and we have been empowering them. And even for our teenagers and our children, if you see them in the community, they will come to you very calm, speaking to you. You can really admire how they can come talk to us because we have been counseling them together, having group sessions with them. A children's group counseling session. And because they are now identifying their values, we teach them things that embody self-esteem, we teach them how to know themselves. And now in the community if you are going around you see that they are actually trying to know themselves. So through the training we are really helping the community to carry on their own personal life. They came with a lot of trauma. They just used to be at home, not even to say hello to somebody. The women they can now visit each other, even the teenagers you see them moving in pairs, living happily and going to school. So I personally, I really learned from CVT that empowerment is really helping the community. Liberian psychosocial agent NOTES "World Bank approves transitional support strategy and HIV/AIDS project for Sierra Leone." March 27, 2002. World Bank Group. News Release No. 2002/260/AFR, 27. "Sierra Leonean Refugee Operation." 1999. UNHCR Global Report. http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/ home?page=search. "Sierra Leone: Sexual Violence Widespread in War." January 16, 2003. Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/ press/2003/01/sl0116.htm. center services and training programs. (1999 CVT Annual Report)
Hubbard, J., and Pearson, N. "A psychosocial program to address massive community violence experienced by refugees from Sierra Leone." The Mental Health of Refugees: Ecological approaches to healing and adaptation. Eds. K. Miller & L. Rasco. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Inc.
"Global Report 2000 - Guinea." June 1 2001. UNHCR. http://www.unhcr.ch/.
CVT's "classroom" consists of periodic, three- to four-day trainings, after the introductory training session, that focus on particular skill development or special topic areas. These sessions are provided to all refugee peer counselors for as long as they remain with the CVT project.
9 10
Torture is defined by the United Nations as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or another person acting in an official capacity." Note: another person acting in an official capacity pertains to non-state agents acting in a positions of power or when state power is unable or unwilling to function.
The average level of educational attainment is lower for women than men. We have sought to overcome this discrepancy by judging the written responses on content rather than grammatical correctness. In addition, the group interviews allow for observation of the actual interaction between women and men to assess natural skills and relating styles. For more information regarding the development of a culturally sensitive research tool developed by Jon Hubbard, CVT's research director, please see: Hubbard, J., and Pearson, N. "A psychosocial program to address massive community violence experienced by refugees from Sierra Leone." The Mental Health of Refugees: Ecological approaches to healing and adaptation. Eds. K. Miller & L. Rasco. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Inc.
6 War trauma is defined as severe, repeated, and/or prolonged exposure to violent events of war. In 1999, CVT had approximately 40 full-time staff with a budget of U.S. $2.3 million million for its total U.S.-based
Summerfield, Derek. "Addressing human response to war and atrocity: Major challenges in research and practices and the limitations of Western psychiatric models." Eds., Kleber, R.J. et. Al. Beyond Trauma: Cultural and Societal Dynamics. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1995.
Rebuilding Communities 19
To print or download this and other publications in the Tactical Notebook Series, go to w w w.newtactics.org. O nline yo u w ill also fin d a searchable database o f tactics an d f orums f or discussio n w it h o t her h uman rig h ts practitio ners.
The Center f or Victims o f Torture Ne w Tactics in Human Rig h ts Project 717 East River Road M in neap olis, M N 55455 w w w.cvt.org / firstname.lastname@example.com w w w.ne w tactics.org / ne w email@example.com


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National parks in america
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17 Of The Most Underrated National Parks In America
15 Most Beautiful National Parks in America | Fascinating Places To Travel. Congaree National Park, South Carolina
America's Most Beautiful National Park -- Glacier National Park in Montana
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text: Equipment >Weapons >Weapon Descriptions >Ammunition > Ammunition (Sling): Bullets 60 PDFs. $30. Pretty simple. For the entire month of February, you can save over 90% on an array of adventures and accessories, bringing you adventures ranging from 1st level to 9th level, monsters from CR 1 to CR 21, magic items from common everyday treasures to mighty artifacts, ready-to-use creatures and characters, and much, much more, all with amazing artwork, delightful design, and flat-out Pathfinder fun! That's nearly 1500 pages of content for only $30! GET THIS NOW BEFORE IT'S GONE. (you've been warned!) Benefit: Bullets come in a leather pouch that holds 10 bullets. Weapons Chart Entry (Simple) Ammunition Cost Dmg (S) Dmg (M) Critical Range Weight1 Type2 Special Bullet(s), sling (10) 1 sp — — — — 5 lbs. — — Source: Core Rulebook


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Woolworths. The Coles in my town is tiny and the layout is so confusing.
Woolworths. The Coles in my town is tiny and the layout is so confusing.
For those saying iga is your iga actually cheap? I'd love to use mine regularly as its just around the corner but its just so much more expensive than woolies
Wow I wish mine was open those hours, would be handy for pregnancy cravings lol
Yeah mine is significantly more expensive. Eg a laundry liquid I got at woolies for around $4 was over $7 at my iga. Nothing can justify the price difference for me. The only stuff I get there is ice cream if I'm having a craving lol or things like ham for dh.
Mines a "super IGA" open 7am-10 pm every day / pretty much the same size as Coles, I don't really notice a big price difference
We have a Coles at the end of the road, but I drive to foodland a couple of suburbs over. It is SA owned and has great product range, plus the fruit and veg are great. Coles fruit and veg are rubbish in comparison.
Otherwise I will do small shops at Coles and get my fruit veg from the fruiterer and meat from local butcher.
Aussie farmers direct for a milk delivery.
Bread from bakers delight
I shop at Coles, aldi and flannerys (health food store). I alternate between Coles and aldi (Coles one week, aldi the next). Flannerys on a needs basis.
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Transportation Changes– If you must make transportation changes after the school day has begun, please notify the Bascomb office. firstname.lastname@example.com
If a student is riding home with another student on the bus or in a car, both students must have a note.
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color block zip racerback tank
$39.90 $29.99
Take an Additional 40% Off Discount Taken in Cart
Take an Additional 40% Off Discount Taken in Cart
A mix of fabrics keeps this shirt airy and on-trend. The flowing crepe front meets a color block trim that connects to a rayon-soft knit back. That blend, plus an exposed metal zipper in back, makes this a perfect candidate for a day-to-night look.
Check Availability at Stores Near YouFind In Store
- Product Details
- Scoop neck sleeveless tank top
- Color blocked crepe trim at neck shoulders and yoke
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Arts, Food, Games & Hobbies, Hobbies, Health, Fitness & NutritionFollow
Are you a busy person who just never got around to learning the basics of cooking? We built startcooking.com just for you. You'll learn how to make quick and tasty meals, plus learn the basic cooking skills you'll need. Get ready to start cooking! Many more episodes are available through our Start Cooking video feed, go to startcooking.com for details.
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Scallops are delicious and can be cooked in minutes! They are perfect when you have no time to cook. You just have to follow a few simple steps and you'll be ready to eat a tasty, zesty meal!
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If you or someone you care about has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, this section will help guide you through the complexities of this diagnosis and other issues to consider.
Understanding Your Diagnosis
A doctor typically diagnoses prostate cancer after closely examining biopsy cells through a microscope. There are several types of cells in the prostate, and each contributes in its own way to the prostate's development, architecture, and function.
But cancer cells grow in an uncontrolled way and look different than normal prostate cells. Pathologists look for these abnormal differences first to detect the presence of cancer and then to determine the cancer grade.
Gleason Grading
The Gleason grading system accounts for the five distinct patterns that prostate tumor cells tend to go through as they change from normal cells to tumor cells. The higher the score, the more aggressive the tumor.
The cells are scored on a scale from 1 to 5:
- "Low-grade" tumor cells (those closest to 1) tend to look very similar to normal cells.
- "High-grade" tumor cells (closest to 5) have mutated so much that they often barely resemble the normal cells.
The Gleason Score
The pathologist looking at the biopsy sample assigns one Gleason grade to the most predominant pattern in your biopsy and a second Gleason grade to the second most predominant pattern. The two grades added together determine your Gleason score (between 2 and 10).
Generally speaking, cancers with lower Gleason scores (2 – 4) tend to be less aggressive, while cancers with higher Gleason scores (7 – 10) tend to be more aggressive.
It's also important to know whether any Gleason 5 is present, even in just a small amount, and most pathologists will report this. Having any Gleason 5 in your biopsy or prostate puts you at a higher risk of recurrence.
Terms to know from this article:
The grade of a tumor depends on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumor is likely to grow and spread. Grading systems are different for each type of cancer.
A mass of excess tissue that results from abnormal cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function. They may be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
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What is a Gleason Score? After the biopsy of your prostate cancer, your doctor will explain the results to you using something called a.
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Not Your Father's Prostate Cancer
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UMNS Features Two Noteworthy Articles
March 24, 2010
The United Methodist News Service article, "Partnerships Strengthen Black Churches," on the national church website, http://www.umc.org, spotlights Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, which has seen a re-awakening of once dormant ministries. Through a partnership with the Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century initiative – the denomination's primary African-American church development program – the 135-year-old black church has "come to life." Weekly offerings have doubled and the average number of worshippers has increased from 115 to 175.
"Rev. (Fred) Allen and SBC21 lit a fire under our folks, and it's still going," says the Rev. Angela Hardy Cross, who arrived at Lennon-Seney in June 2009. "Our future goals are no longer far-fetched dreams for us. We're excited about what God is doing in and through our church."
Read complete article here.
In recognition of March as Women's History Month, UMNS features the second in a series of articles on women in The United Methodist Church.
In the article, "Women Face Long Road to Change in Church," Bishop Charlene Kammerer reflects on the church and women and her path in The United Methodist Church. "The very connectional nature of our United Methodist Church has made a big difference in supporting and encouraging me along the way," she said. "The commitment to inclusiveness . . . has been a strong thread of passion for me."
Read complete article here.


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ICON 56 owns a favorable location for easily approaching districts or key facilities in city center and so that tenants can receive all the best things provided around and within the property. Moreover, tenants can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the city from high view towards outside after stressful working hours.
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Mango jam
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MANGO JAM. Firm (but not hard) mangoes, sugar, lemon zest, pectin, water...Must try.
Homemade Mango Jam #stepbystep #recipe masalaherb.com @Helene Dsouza
mango jalapeño jam -- serve on sturdy crackers with a creamy cheese (goat, i'd choose), or use on a ham or roast pork sandwich
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MANGO SAFFRON CARDAMOM JAM. A delicious homemade mango jam delicately flavored with saffron and cardamom. Make a batch using juicy, ripe golden mangoes and savor them till the season is long past. Make this no pectin, no preservative, refrigerator jam rec
Mango Jam!! I mango!!
Mango jam, bit of lemon...definately doing this. Mango jam this weekend.
Mango and Pineapple Jam from Food.com: This is yummy and makes a tasty topping for vanilla ice cream.


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As a follow on from a previous message I posted it now looks like we (myself, wife and 3 year old daughter) will be arriving in chennai in early August for a 2 year stint.
If any of you have any accomodation recommendations please feel to drop me a message with the details
Look forward to catching up with you all when we finally get there :-)


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Darshan and Pilgrim News
2 Responses to "Darshan and Pilgrim News"
Amma Debora says:
April 16th, 2011 at 8:22 am
Lovely painting, Karishma, congratulations. It inspires me to make a patchwork about it…
esan says:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:07 am
A river of pilgrims, the river of life !
From Our Gurus' Teachings
- Gurudeva's Master Course Lesson of the Day
Bodhinatha's Latest Upadeshas:
"Saivite Beliefs; Religion is Three Worlds in Communication " (February 20,2017)
In our teachings we're both monistic and theistic. In the beliefs of Saivism the idea of the three worlds is the basis and key to understanding temple worship, theism. The inner worlds are there to help you. The essence of the soul is already the same as the essence of God Siva, monism. You just have to find it.
Path to Siva, Lesson 17
Click here to go to an index of all of Bodhinatha's and Gurudeva's online audio.
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.