Rehabilitation
DIGNITY collaborates with partner organizations to
ensure that people affected by torture and violence
are not left behind
People exposed to torture and other forms of violence and adversity are at a heightened risk of experiencing mental health difficulties including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. If unaddressed, problems compound over time, widening inequalities, and increasing health and protection needs.
DIGNITY address the gap in the need for mental health and psychosocial support for survivors or torture and other forms of violence from a human rights angle. It is a basic human right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. And survivors of torture have the right to receive holistic and effective rehabilitation support for their recovery.
Therefore, it is a vital part of DIGNITY’s mission to help survivors and communities recover physically, mentally, and socially.
DIGNITY works in more than 20 countries providing mental health and psychosocial support for local communities as well as rehabilitation for survivors.
Mental health and psychosocial support for local communities
In many low- and middle-income countries, exposure to violence is disproportionately high. This can result in mental health difficulties compounded by poverty, while access to mental health services is very limited.
To address this, DIGNITY partners with mental health organizations to train and supervise non-specialists to deliver brief, evidence-based mental health and psychosocial support interventions.
We embed this in a stepped-care model, with referral pathways to specialized and other services for survivors with more complex needs.
This approach expands access and equity while maintaining quality through structured training, regular supervision, and outcome monitoring.
Kenya
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In Kenya’s Nakuru region, many families face high levels of gender-based and domestic violence. The consequences often go unaddressed, as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services are limited and difficult to access, especially for survivors in informal settlements.
To address these gaps, DIGNITY and Midrift-Hurinet have expanded community-based mental health care using Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Psychological First Aid (PFA). These evidence-based approaches help survivors of violence manage distress, rebuild daily functioning, and connect to essential services through stronger referral systems. The project has since expanded to Bondeni and other sub-counties.
The impact of PM+ is clear. Comparing client scores before and after participation:
- Psychlops: Severe symptoms reduced from 97.7% to 4.7%.
- WHODAS: Severe disability dropped from 66.9% to 0%, with 66.9% reporting no disability after PM+.
- GHQ: Severe distress decreased from 99.2% to 8.1%.
Overall, 67% of clients improved in functioning, 93% felt less affected by their problems, and 91% experienced reduced distress.
Now we see that community awareness is growing, referral pathways are stronger, and a new peer-to-peer support system is empowering survivors to support one another and claim their rights.
Burkina Faso
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The growing insecurity in Burkina Faso has left many people displaced and exposed to violence, with limited access to care and justice. Survivors often face stigma, weak referral systems, and few opportunities for recovery.
In response, DIGNITY and its partners — the Centre for the Quality of Law and Justice and the Mouvement Burkinabè des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples — are working to make survivor-centered support a reality. Together, we are training health professionals in trauma-informed care, empowering community leaders to promote protection and healing, and strengthening referral and monitoring systems so survivors can access comprehensive assistance.
Across Yatenga and surrounding regions, health workers now apply compassionate, trauma-sensitive approaches in their daily work, while displaced communities are more aware of their rights and where to seek help. Collaboration with local and international partners, including the ICRC, has expanded referral pathways and improved coordination across sectors.
Building on these gains, the project now aims to institutionalize survivor-centered care nationwide — helping ensure that every survivor in Burkina Faso can access safe, coordinated, and sustainable support.
Liberia
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In Liberia’s urban slum areas, many people live with daily challenges such as poverty, gender-based violence, substance abuse, limited job opportunities and widespread mental health stigma. The Self-Help Plus (SH+) intervention was introduced by DIGNITY’s partner Liberian Association of Psychosocial Support (LAPS) to support adult individuals experiencing moderate psychological distress. Those with severe trauma were referred for specialized care. Preliminary findings show promising outcomes: Test results indicate improvements in participants’ emotional and physical well-being. Participants reported enhanced emotional regulation, a 20% reduction in distress, and a 13% decrease in the proportion experiencing somatic pain. Moreover, among those who reported pain, the perceived impact of pain on life enjoyment and daily activities decreased substantially—by 60% to 80%. SH+ offers an evidence-based approach to building mental resilience where it’s most needed.
SH+ was introduced as part of a research project evaluating the acceptability and relevance of the SH+ intervention for adults in communities where DIGNITY and LAPS are implementing projects.
In Liberia, DIGNITY collaborates with three local organizations: Community Health Initiative (CHI) – a sexual and reproductive health organization, Association of Female Lawyers in Liberia (AFELL)- a legal aid organization and LAPS who provide MHPSS to survivors of torture and trauma. Together, they provide holistic services to survivors of gender-based violence and their communities.
Uganda
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In 2024, DIGNITY and its partners strengthened Uganda’s mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) system by ensuring that people affected by trauma received the right level of care at the right time.
Through DIGNITY’s partner ACTV, individuals affected by trauma received immediate support through Psychological First Aid. People with more severe symptoms were successfully referred to specialized mental health care using the WHO-endorsed Problem Management Plus (PM+) intervention.
At the same time, DIGNITY’s partner Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation reached over 1,600 refugees and community members through awareness-raising sessions on MHPSS, gender-based violence, and suicide prevention. These activities were highly effective as 90% of participants went on to seek help on their own initiative.
This stepped-care approach – identifying needs early, raising awareness, and referring individuals to the right support – is critical in preventing the escalation of mental health problems, including suicide.
Morocco
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In Morocco, young people face daily pressures that affects their mental well-being such as sexual and gender-based violence, domestic violence, urban violence poverty and unemployment. To respond, DIGNITY has trained a team of outreach workers from Association Marocaine de Planification Familiale (AMPF) and Citizens of the Street (CDR) in Psychological First Aid, equipping them to offer immediate, compassionate support to young women and men affected by violence and trauma. From July to November 2025 they reached more than 1000 people, for whom it made a vital difference to be met with understanding and appropriate support.
Tunisia
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In Tunisia, many young people face ongoing stress related to unemployment, gender inequality, violence, lack of trust in institutions and limited opportunities. Recognizing the need for safety and support, DIGNITY, in partnership with Psychologues du Monde Tunisie, collaborates with state actors and civil society organizations, such as scouts, Red Crescent to strengthen services that empower youth and promote well-being.
Through specialized training, we equip professionals and frontline workers – those who meet youth every day – with the tools and knowledge to respond in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered way. This means creating spaces where young people are heard, respected, and empowered.
Indonesia
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In Indonesia, DIGNITY collaborates with Universitas Syiah Kuala to pilot programme, designed to strengthen social-emotional learning in schools (SEULANGA). The programme trains teachers, staff, and students to build self-awareness, manage stress, improve relationships, and make responsible decisions. Implemented in junior high schools in Banda Aceh, SEULANGA fosters positive school environments and enhances well-being for both students and educators. By promoting resilience and healthy interactions, the programme helps prevent violence and supports safer, more supportive learning communities.
Rehabilitation for survivors
DIGNITY also collaborates with specialized clinics and through partnerships with treatment centers in Ukraine, the Middle East, and North Africa.
We provide training and supervision for clinicians such as psychologists, psychiatrists, and physiotherapists, including our own evidence-informed Pain School – a manualized, 10-session, physiotherapy-led treatment for people living with persistent pain and stress after trauma.
Ukraine
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In Ukraine, millions are at risk of mental health conditions due to the ongoing war. Survivors of torture, sexual violence, captivity, and families of the missing are in urgent need of psychosocial support. DIGNITY works with four Ukrainian civil society organisations to provide crisis support, therapy, and holistic care for survivors with linkages to human rights documentation of torture and war crimes. Moreover, we work with our partners to strengthen referral pathways for survivors, promote staff well-being, and advocate for broader access to comprehensive rehabilitation within Ukraine’s health system — with a particular focus on released prisoners of war and civilians formerly detained by Russian forces.
Palestine
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In 2024, DIGNITY’s partner, the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, scaled up urgently needed mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) across the occupied Palestinian territory, reaching more than 2000 survivors of torture, violence, and war.
As the war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank made in-person support increasingly dangerous, the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture expanded its remote services. When the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme could no longer operate – even on its hotline, the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture integrated it into their own system, ensuring people in Gaza could still receive help — even when displaced or unable to reach clinics safely
At the same time, the number of traumatized people in the West Bank, including Jerusalem increased rapidly. With support from the Palestinian Counselling Center , local counsellors delivered post-trauma group therapy in affected communities, ensuring that the three partners were able to reach and support people across most of Palestine.
Kosovo
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DIGNITY and its partner Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture victims introduced Family Therapy and Systemic Practice to address transgenerational trauma. The approach supported survivors of wartime sexual violence and their children, helping families rebuild trust and resilience. Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture victims continue to provide vital MHPSS services to survivors of sexual violence in conflict and their families.
Bangladesh
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In Bangladesh DIGNITY will work to strengthen the capacity of local civil society actors to provide trauma-informed mental MHPSS to survivors of torture and violence. It will entail training and mentoring to equip organisations to deliver direct assistance, apply survivor-centred approaches, and safeguard staff from secondary traumatisation. Further, the programme will support development of stronger referral systems to expand survivors’ access to a wider range of rehabilitation and redress services. Data and experiences from MHPSS delivery will inform advocacy for enhanced access to survivor-centred rehabilitation.
Myanmar
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Along the Thailand–Myanmar border, many displaced people continue to live with the effects of conflict, trauma, and human rights violations. DIGNITY supports exiled Burmese organisations to deliver trauma-informed MHPSS services in this fragile context. Working with local health actors, the programme strengthens referral networks and builds the capacity of providers to respond to survivors’ needs. Human rights organisations are part of this network, linking documentation of violations with access to psychosocial care. This integrated approach ensures that survivors benefit from both support and recognition, helping to foster resilience among vulnerable displaced populations.
Jordan
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In Jordan, a network of physiotherapists has been trained in DIGNITY’s Physiotherapy Pain School — an evidence-based group program combining education, gentle movement, and behavioral techniques to help trauma-affected individuals manage chronic pain, reduce stress, and improve daily functioning.
Between 2023 and 2024 trauma-affected individuals from the Institute for Family Health, JOHUD, Al-Bashir Hospital, Prince Hamza Hospital, Jameel Al Totangi Hospital, and private clinics took part in the program. Results showed significant progress: 50% reported fewer symptoms of depression, 70% improved overall well-being, and 61% experienced reduced pain levels.
The program now supports both Syrian refugees in Zaatari Camp and Jordanian host communities, providing a safe space to rebuild body awareness and emotional resilience. To sustain and expand its impact, DIGNITY has introduced a training-of-trainers model, with 13 trainers and 5 master trainers now leading courses across Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.
Jordanian trainers continue to share their expertise through workshops and conferences, promoting a holistic, trauma-informed approach to pain management across the region.
MHPSS Packages
DIGNITY offers collaboration partners technical support and advisory in implementing various evidence-based MHPSS interventions. Our focus and key competency is within focused, non-specialised support that can be delivered by trained and supervised individuals without a mental health professional background. Moreover, DIGNITY has expertise in specialised services for survivors with trauma-related conditions.
Please find descriptions of the different MHPSS interventions we offer training, mentoring and support in. Download the files to read more about target groups, outcomes and considerations for implementation.
