Failure to apply the proper methods, shortage of skilled counsellors and lack of social security have held back the National Trauma Counselling Centre from rendering effective support to female victims.
Because of a lack of publicity, not only are most women not aware of the presence of the facility, many others who have actually consulted the counselling centre are not keen to go back.
A few months ago, Rista (not her real name) went to the NTCC seeking psychological counselling about some sexual complications that she had been having her husband.
She told this reporter that some unpleasant involuntary childhood sexual encounters that she had had with some of her close male relatives, had been causing problems now, especially when she had sex with her husband.
The NTCC also included her husband in the counselling plans and the psychologists talked to couple simultaneously in the same room.
After a number of sittings, the husband started behaving rudely with her because by then he had learned about Rista’s childhood experiences.
Rista then stopped taking counselling because she did not want to further jeopardise her conjugal life.
Researchers said such a counselling centre must also make sure that a victim would not face new problems after she shared her trauma. But the NTCC clearly failed to ensure that in case of Rista.
Professionals have told the Dhaka Tribune that the NTCC does not most of the prerequisites to give optimum support to victims of psychological trauma. They said such a support centre must have clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, legal advisors and arrangements for social security.
The psychiatrists are needed because clinical psychologists cannot prescribe medicines if need be. The legal advisors are needed in case anyone comes who is still going through abuse and need to take steps against the abuser. The social security arrangements are supposed to make sure that the identity of a victim remains undisclosed.
However, papers show that that there are only two professional clinical psychologists at the NTCC. The centre does not have any post for a psychiatrist or a legal advisor at all.
When this reporter sought some information to use as case studies, the authorities gave her all the papers containing actual personal information about some victims.
Since its inception in 2009, the NTCC has so far given support to a total of 1,069 victims. In 2014, a total of 111 got support from here; most of them are old clients. No new victim had come for consultation in the first week of this month.
Generally, women from middle class families come here for trauma counselling. The NTCC has just a few unmarried clients who have come here with their boyfriends.
Some clients have complained that the psychologists at the support centre sometimes do not take the time needed for preparation before they start counselling.
Because there are not enough counsellors, they sometimes work hastily and without the sensitivity and secrecy needed for dealing with sensible personal information.
Ismat Jahan, one of the two clinical psychologists at the NTCC, claimed that they were not short of manpower.
However, she admitted that help from psychiatrists could be useful because they could not prescribe drugs. Sometimes they need to make a patient stable by using drugs before starting the counselling.
Psychiatrist Mohammad Asif told the Dhaka Tribune: “A psychologist and a psychiatrist should together deal with a psychological condition. That is the only correct practice. There is not scope of any compromise. The psychologists cannot prescribe drugs and the psychiatrists are not trained for counselling. So, they need to work together as a unit during counselling sessions.”
Ayesha Khanom, president of women’s rights body Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said counselling was not an easy thing by any stretch of the imagination.
Criticising the methods used at NTCC, she said: “If those who are working there think that a common method should work equally well for all, then they are wrong. Morever, the centre should also be equally focussed on ensuring social and familial rehabilitation for a victim to guarantee full recovery.”
