Counsellors working with highly traumatised people in war-torn Myanmar have benefitted from training in Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), led by TTI co-founder Dr Katy Robjant. 

Dr Robjant trained 14 therapists who work for UK-registered charity Mercy Outreach in its This Is Eden project.

They provide therapy to survivors of slavery who may have experienced sexual exploitation, combat and forced marriage.

With such deep trauma and with Myanmar experiencing such political unrest, the This Is Eden therapists are required to provide treatment within a short time frame.

As a result, Mercy Outreach called upon TTI for training in NET which is known for swiftly relieving symptoms of trauma. 

Su Aung, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is a programme manager at This Is Eden and provides therapy to traumatised people as part of her role. She took part in Dr Robjant’s training sessions in Myanmar and says she and her colleagues found them extremely useful. 

“We absolutely loved learning about NET,” she says. “Previously we had been using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) but that doesn’t always give us a clear outcome. NET gives us set goals and a clearer technique. It breaks down what we should ask the survivors about. They also participate more than they do in CBT and feel more in control. 

“Transformation is much quicker as people can see symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder while going through the narrative.” 

She adds: “Katy was so patient and explained everything step by step. We really loved it. It’s great that NET can be used by normal people as well as therapists.”

TTI’s work with This Is Eden also included six follow-up consultation sessions online where the therapists could build on their skills and ask questions of Dr Robjant about their experiences of using NET. 

“The supervision sessions were so good,” says Su. “We could talk about any difficulties we’d been having; it can be easier doing this with an outsider rather than a colleague.”

Dr Robjant explains that NET is an evidence-based approach to trauma spectrum disorders, designed for people who have experienced horrific events in the context of human rights abuses. 

“We start by looking at the main events that someone has been through in their life in a chronological order, both positive and negative,” she says. “We talk about the context of life at the time of the event, and what things were like socio-politically. Then we talk about the event itself. It’s done very slowly, moment by moment, as otherwise it can be very overwhelming. We contrast what happened then with what’s happening right now.”

She adds: “The narrative testimony is written down and agreed upon by the survivor, both at the end of each session and at the end of the treatment. The results are really powerful and can quickly reduce distress and improve symptoms.”

Dr Robjant says that a key benefit to Narrative Exposure Therapy is that people without extensive mental health knowledge or experience can be trained to treat others. This is due to its systematic, formulaic approach which can be taught within just a few days. 

She adds: “The NET training with This Is Eden was particularly useful for the participants as some of them were dealing with their own trauma due to the political unrest in Myanmar.”

TTI CEO Quen Geuter said: “Trauma Treatment International is committed to upskilling mental health practitioners around the world in their work to support victims of torture, trafficking, slavery and war. 

“Collaborating with This Is Eden on this project was a great learning experience for us and we look forward to building on it in the future.”