Barefoot counselling
by Emma Masters
Barefoot
counselling is a concept discovered in a little book in a small Indian hospital
library that gave two recent social work and social science graduates an immediate
plan for helping local women suffering from depression, a growing problem for women
in developing countries.
On a four month field placement exchange offered through their degree programs, Rachel Mann and Nicolette Fluris lived in a small rural hospital in southern India’s state of Tamil Nadu, developing community education plans focused on mental health and depression.
“The hospitals don’t have the money, resources or time to look at mental health, especially because they are overwhelmed by physical problems, so we wanted to focus on it,” says Mann.
With the assistance of a local supervisor, they talked to 149 women from three villages and initiated education programs facilitated through self-help groups. Their first project involved working with a group of 20 women doing street theatre, a common form of education in the area.
“They were incredible," says Mann. "We spent a few hours relaying the messages that came through our research and they put on all these brilliant plays incorporating everything we discussed."
“Depression is a silent issue for many of the women, so they were happy to have these messages brought to the surface and it empowered the street theatre group as well, knowing they weren’t alone and were able to do something about it,” added Fluris.
The girls also worked with the self-help groups and hospital staff, equipping them with skills to identify mental illness and respond in a useful way. But it was the barefoot counselling approach that had great significance for both students.
“Very late in the stage we selected six women from each of the villages, from different castes so there would be a broad representation, and we trained them on basic aspects of counselling, empathy and listening skills,” Fluris said.
“We were worried the women wouldn’t cope with constantly hearing other people’s problems but they said it made them feel better knowing there were other women experiencing the same thing.”
The intervention made a difference to the women and had a flow-on effect in the community. Boosted by this early program’s success, both girls have applied for grants to return to India and continue their work.