Counseling
Aawaaj has been providing counseling care and support to people who are in need especially to violence survivor, vulnerable women and children. Aawaaj has an experienced and trained counselor who provides counseling to the sufferers of violence hence helping to build their self-confidence; self-esteem, self -respect, self-reliance and bring positive feelings in their own life and help them live in the society with dignity.
Working Strategies that we believe and Important for the Positive Impact to Survivors
1. Respect and Dignity
- To find their own identity, aware on self-respect – I have full right over my body, its not my fault, I am not alone- drawing
- Active Listening in a way s/he feels that we are caring you
- Raising voice to get justice continuously with allies, family
- Believe what’s the survivor said and understand her sense,
- Develop self-strength of survivors and able to control own rights and have decision making capacity- encourage.
- Work together; let them understand and recognize the problems; together think and explore the ways to address the problems and respect survivor’s views, participation.
- Maintain confidentiality throughout the process.
2. Empowerment
- Give opportunity for skills, fun, play, song, game, dance
- Ensure her / his safety and look after short term basic needs
- Positively influence Men’s and Boys who are change makers
- Give information on legal rights, women and children rights, legal procedure and services provided by Aawaaj, authorities
- Active participation in development activities through awareness, training and skills for good results
- Exploring resources for solving their own problem through linkages and Support economically self-sustained activities
- Support school fees, personal safety training/peer education and follow-up meetings to protect survivors.
- Engage to play the supportive role in community to manage and referral the affected person, monitoring and follow up of economic and education support, and identify those children and women who are living in violence and Abuse.
- Sharing feelings and problems among survivor network
- Vocational Skills training, business entrepreneurship and life skills, Job placement in local area or start self-employment
3. Participation of Survivors
- Facilitate family and community mediation and seek survivors participation for their own or while it happened to others
- Engage them at community for the immediate reporting, involve them in various awareness program, emotional support to other children and women who have similar problems
- Visit on the spot after reporting and interaction with people to whom survivor’s feel important;
- Facilitate the survivors to work as change makers at community, and schools to end violence, abuse, neglect
- Creative Arts ( drawing, song, dance, street drama, Events (competitions, campaign, media/press releases)
4. Partnership and Sustainability
- Working on what local resources, skills is available at community for long-term emotional and social recovery to promote protection and survival, development rights and to restore dignity of survivors
- Work with authorities for justice, Application Assistance, friends for legal process, birth registration, lobby to compensate Half salary, food and fees for children education
- Working with private sectors and their support to provide job.
- Build capacity of existing groups, Establish Support System, linkages with CSM, child group, Creating Conducive Environment through coordination and collaboration with authorities, civil society and various groups
- Support the strength of families, communities and work with them to support survivors as per need.
What we do in 1st session of counseling?
- Greetings and welcome, allow to drink water , tea
- Pre information – Name, from where it come, why they visited at Aawaaj
- Again welcome politely and emotional support in counseling room, see the situation, Rapport building, introduce each other
- Relaxation -allow to take rest, sleep,
- Listening the affected person, make immediate plan by counselor
Staff Preparation
- The place for counseling, level of sitting
- News print, colors, play materials, flip chart,
- Drinking water, emergency kit-
- Level of closeness, -talking, sitting in L shape
- Care the dress up of counselor
- Time preparation,
What we do not do in counseling
- Not discrimination based on caste/ ethnicity, gender, age, disability, status, geography,
- Not raising any expectation and not promising things which we can’t do
- Not pressurized to give information if they are not ready and make ensure to prevent from re-victimized
- Do not disclose with their status without consent of her / his
- Not increased fear, humiliation, or sadness, not labeled, blame, guilt
- Do not ask too many questions at a time and don’t show the power
Working with family
- Regular home visit, family counseling ask them not to leave children alone,
- Inform parents what to talk, what shouldn’t talk and how to talk with children. Do telephone or contact in case of emergency
- Invite them in our program, training or send parents to attend meeting, workshop organized by others
- Legal information, economic support and scholarship support
- Ask them to join in network, women group, CSM,
