Centre for Faith-Sensitive Counselling and Trauma-informed Gender-Based Violence Responses

The Centre for Faith-Sensitive Counselling and Trauma-Informed Gender-Based Violence Responses advances interdisciplinary research, practice, and capacity building at the intersections of counselling, gender-based violence (GBV) and faith. Located within the Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion & Migration, the Centre specialises in the development of faith-sensitive, culturally grounded, and trauma-informed counselling approaches that respond to the needs of individuals and communities affected by domestic violence, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and other forms of GBV in religious contexts. We collaborate with both secular and religious counsellors and psychologists to help them integrate faith-sensitive and theological hermeneutics in counselling married couples, domestic violence victims, survivors and perpetrators, as well as survivors of CRSV and genocidal violence.

As a Centre, we are especially interested in:

• Diversifying and contextualising spiritual psychotherapy and counselling practices, challenging the dominance of single, Western-centric paradigms and advancing contextualised, culturally resonant approaches across diverse contexts.
• Integrating theological teachings and interpretive traditions into counselling practice, particularly where counsellors are themselves religious and serve religious clients, while maintaining ethical, survivor-centred, and trauma-informed standards.
• Evaluating the role and impact of spiritual practices and theological resources in counselling, including prayer, ritual, scripture, and pastoral guidance, across different religious traditions and settings.
• Developing trauma-informed counselling responses to GBV, including domestic violence and CRSV, that address moral injury, spiritual distress, shame, and fractured relationships alongside psychological trauma.
• Strengthening practitioner capacity and ethical practice through training, supervision, and collaborative learning with counsellors, psychologists, and faith-based practitioners working in violence-affected and resource-constrained contexts.

In addition to offering consultancy and advisory services, we have active collaborative projects with several partner organisations, including the Fnot Psychosocial Counselling Organization in Ethiopia.

Centre Leads and Members