English Mental health and gender-based violence English version | Page 110

100 Stabilising and protecting a survivor who wants to report what happened to her
TO THE TRAINER
PART II : THE TRAINING

Stabilising and protecting a survivor who wants to report what happened to her

Aim . To introduce the issue of reporting .
These sessions discuss additional techniques of stabilisation , focusing on how to help a survivor to tell her story without awaking her trauma .
At the end , we will deal with the important question of returning to society . How do we hope to end the story ? Can we recreate hope and provide survivors with the resources they need to go back to their families and communities or , if this is not possible , find other ways to continue their lives ?
The important point here is to concentrate on resources and on the potential of the survivor . How can we draw on the human rights-based approach and how can community resources be mobilised to support her ? How can the woman herself be supported so that she remains grounded , holding on to a little hope and having some faith in the future ? If this can be achieved , her story can become healing .
KEY POINT
The story shows that a survivor who reports her story should
• Identify issues that can trigger and prepare for them .
• Avoid strong details that can trigger her .
• Use grounding techniques when triggering occurs .
DISCUSSION
Discussion . Survivors who want to report their experience or file a complaint .
Give examples of what can happen if the survivor is not prepared . For instance , when a survivor is triggered during reporting , she may be incoherent , unable to remember events in the correct order , or even unable to remember anything at all .