Psychological intervention with displaced widows in Sri Lanka

This paper describes a programme for war widows residing in refugee camps in Sri Lanka. The country has been traumatized by civil conflict for over 15 years and one ii? seventeen people have beet? displaced The Explicit aim of the programme is to promote mental health among the refugees, mainly by,facilitating coping strategies. Self-help principles are utilized. An additional aim of the programme is to help foster relationships between women from the different sides of the conflict, therapy providing an opportunity for changing perceptions, attitudes and stereotyped beliefs. A blend of traditional models based on expert knowledge and a more radical model, which maximizes the resources of the women themselves, is used. The cultural and socio-political issues defining the intervention at micro- and macro-levels are also discussed.