Changing lives through community-based social counselling In ethnically divided communities in particular, this kind of group therapy can bridge the gap between former enemies by creating a framework of trust that promotes dialogue and mutual respect. In Rwanda for example, groups sometimes consist of victims as well as perpetrators of the genocide. Social counselling groups were typically comprised of up to 15 people from the same village or area. As part of the project’s holistic and communitybased approach to rehabilitation, the centres were trained in community-based social counselling. This meant that social counselling could be integrated in existing therapy approaches and interventions. Within the groups, trauma symptoms were addressed through support, psycho-education and advice. The main goals were the restoration of mutual respect, trust, care and safety and the setting of democratic rules. The groups were kept to a maximum of 15 participants to facilitate interaction and build confidence among participants. The key element of each group was that the participants knew each other — they could be from the same community, be neighbours or be friends. Every group had a facilitator called a social therapist, who had been trained on how to moderate social counselling groups. This person was a member of the community that received one week of training, one follow-up training and was regularly supervised by centre staff. safety, which often took several weeks as participants came to grips with letting go of their fear of sharing their experiences and thoughts. The second phase was interaction, where participants got used to sharing and hearing ideas and having an open dialogue. Groups then moved on to the phases of respect, caring for one another, new rules and memory. Each group was founded on basic principles. The first was common interest, as the participants were all dealing with similar problems. The second was treating each other as equals. The third was democracy and reinforcing that all decisions should be made by consensus. The fourth was responsibility, as regardless of whether something good or bad happened, they all shared equal responsibility. The fifth was participation, the sixth was learning by doing and the concept that if a problem arises, everyone comes up with a solution together; and lastly, the principle of here and now, which means addressing any issues as soon as possible. After 15 weeks the group could decide whether to move on and take on an income generating activity, become a co-operative and continue working together or stop meeting. NUMBER OF SOCIAL COUNSELLING GROUPS 117 TOTAL NUMBER OF WOMEN The meetings were held once a week for three hours and the group chose where and when they would meet. Groups chose many different types of settings, such as a member’s house, a church, office building or even simply under a tree in the village. Each group went through the same phases. The first phase was 1,093 TOTAL NUMBER OF MEN 713 TOTAL NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES 1,806 Social counselling groups can facilitate dialogue and build group and social cohesion among community members. They support social inclusion, reintegration and, as many Rwandan cases illustrate, reconciliation. Social counselling also allows members of the same community to heal one another in private community settings. The centres introduced therapy groups made up of victims of torture and other forms of violence, as well as nonvictims. This allowed group members to address their individual issues, to understand and empathise with the difficulties of others, as well as act as a catalyst for a positive and sustainable change within their community. The inclusion of non-victims in the groups proved essential for the social inclusion of the community’s most vulnerable members. The social counselling groups were a resounding success, with 90 percent of the beneficiaries stating that psychosocial support enabled them to cope better with mental and emotional challenges. The self-led approach and transfer of skills was vital in ensuring that the techniques learned stay within the community and can be built on. This is strikingly illustrated by the many participants who set up their own sociotherapy groups, without any financial support from the project, when their social counselling groups ended after three months. 24 IRCT Great Lakes Project With limited resources, communities created a framework that allowed for a peaceful dialogue on issues that were previously considered too difficult to address. Moreover, this structured communal dialogue peacefully resolved more minor issues, such as neighbour disputes and childcare. This process strengthened ownership of communal decisions through a participatory process that included the community’s most vulnerable members. “What I have seen today is a small microcosm of what is happening in Rwanda where each person is trying to help the other person to overcome the demons of the past and lift this country into something bigger and larger all the time. Torture and ill treatment should never be tolerated in any society, and I want to underline the importance of the work done by organisations such as the IRCT to prevent torture and alleviate damage.” Ambassador Michael Ryan, Head of the EU Delegation to Rwanda, during a visit to one of the community-based sociotherapy groups in the Ngoma District As an example, Rwandan centre Uyisenga Ni Imanzi worked with parents who felt they had no option but to leave their children at the Rwandan border to travel to the DRC for work. The centre placed them into social counselling groups and supported them in organising income generating activities. They also received training on how to save and apply for loans. Due to the positive impact this approach had on the lives of the parents and their children, the centre extended these activities to four schools in the area. Social counselling groups were established for teachers, parents and children. They supported the groups in how IRCT Great Lakes Project 25