Fostering Trauma-Informed Approaches Among Mental Health Professionals for GBV Survivors

Background:

According to the National Family Health Survey-5, approximately 45% of women in India did not report violence because they believed it would not lead to any action or justice. This highlights a systemic gap in survivor-centric, trauma-informed support services. Survivors often encounter stigma, lack of empathy, and institutional barriers when seeking help from service providers such as police, medical professionals, legal advisors, mental health professionals and protection officers. Addressing these issues is crucial to fostering trust in these systems and encouraging survivors to seek help.

Objective:

• Bridging the gap between survivors' needs and mental health professionals capabilities.
• Increasing trust in institutional systems to make survivors more willing to seek help. Creating tailored training materials to:
• help mental health professionals overcome stereotypes, stigmas, and operational challenges when assisting survivors of GBV.
• support practitioners with safe and trauma-informed identification, screening, case management and  information sharing practices to minimize the re-traumatization of victim-survivors when accessing support for multiple services.
• support mental health professionals to understand the intersecting impacts of systemic and interpersonal violence and structural inequities on victim-survivors journey and their help seeking behaviors.
• encourage implementation trauma-informed care frameworks within organizations.

Goal:

Through my NGO, Imaara Survivor Support Foundation, I aim to develop training modules aligned with my initiative's objectives. Once created, I plan to pilot these modules with mental health professionals in Chennai, assessing their impact through pre- and post-training evaluations. Based on the feedback gathered, I will refine the content and expand training efforts to equip more mental health professionals with the skills needed to support GBV survivors effectively.

Activities and Timeline:

1. Secondary Research [June 1st 2025 - September 1st 2025]: Identify best practices from regions that have implemented trauma-informed training for GBV service providers and create first draft of training modules.
2. Primary Research [September 2nd 2025 - December 31st 2025]:
3. Conduct focus group discussions (FGDs) and interviews with survivors of GBV, mental health professionals, and stakeholders to understand gaps in existing mental health systems and suggestions to improve services.
4. Complete the creation of training module.
5. Pilot Implementation [January 2026 - June 2026]: Roll out the training program for selected mental health professionals in Chennai.

Target Beneficiaries:

• Direct Beneficiaries: Mental-health professionals like therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, and staff working in the mental health setting.
• Indirect Beneficiaries: Survivors of GBV who will benefit from improved, trauma-informed mental-health support systems.

Short-Term Impact:

• Improved understanding among mental-health professionals about survivor-centric approaches and trauma sensitivity towards survivors of GBV.
• Creation of a well-documented training module tailored to Chennai's context.
• Increased willingness among survivors to approach mental health professionals for help, healing, and recovery.

Long-Term Impact:

• Expanded implementation of trauma-informed training to other service providers like police, legal experts, protection officers, medical experts who are frontline responders to survivors of GBV.
• Expanded implementation of trauma-informed training in other regions of Tamil Nadu and India.
• Systemic change in how survivors of GBV are treated by institutions, leading to increased trust and help-seeking behaviors.
• Organizational commitment to the implementation of trauma-informed care best practice and frameworks including ongoing supervision
• A scalable, replicable model for improving survivor-centric support systems across India.
• Seamless access to support for victim-survivors through integrated and coordinated responses between agencies with clearly defined roles and referral pathways across services

Sustainability Plan:

• Integration with Existing Systems: Partner with government agencies to integrate trauma-informed training into existing training modules for service providers.
• Partnerships: Collaborate with NGOs and donor agencies to scale the program.
• Revenue Generation: Offer training materials as paid resources for other organizations, ensuring financial sustainability.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Pre- and Post-Training Assessments: Measure service providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices before and after training.
• Survivor Feedback Surveys: Collect data on survivors’ experiences with trained service providers.
• Quarterly Reviews: Conduct periodic evaluations to refine training materials and methods.

This project addresses critical gaps in India's institutional responses to GBV by focusing on the root cause: lack of trauma-informed, survivor-centric practices among mental health professionals and other service providers. By equipping service providers with the knowledge and skills to respond sensitively, the project aims to build trust and create an ecosystem where survivors feel empowered to seek help.