Community based trauma counselling building resilience.

Across several communities in Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau, and Benue States, years of violence, banditry, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) have left deep psychological trauma among women, children, and families. Yet access to mental health and psychosocial support services remains extremely limited, leaving many survivors without the help they need to heal and rebuild their lives.

Through the SPRiNG Programme, Carefronting Nigeria is strengthening community resilience by expanding access to trauma-informed psychosocial support. By training community-based counsellors and establishing safe listening spaces, the initiative ensures that individuals affected by conflict can access support within their own communities.

Intervention Highlights

Carefronting Nigeria delivered Advanced Trauma Consciousness and Resilience Training to community counsellors across four states, equipping them with the skills to identify trauma, provide appropriate support, and prevent the escalation of conflict and SGBV-related challenges.

Working alongside experienced partners such as the Red Cross, the programme used hands-on training, mentoring, and practice-based learning to build counsellors’ capacity in therapeutic counselling, trauma assessment, child-friendly approaches, and referral pathways.

To ensure services are accessible at the community level, the initiative also established community and school-based listening centres in trusted local spaces such as schools, churches, health facilities, and IDP camps.

Key Achievements

• 240 counsellors trained, including persons with disabilities, in trauma-informed counselling and resilience support

• 63 community and school-based listening centres established across Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau, and Benue States

• Improved access to psychosocial support for conflict-affected families and individuals

• 25 trauma cases formally managed in Benue State since the project began

• Documented life-saving intervention where trained counsellors prevented a suicide attempt in Chikun

• Increased community awareness of trauma, mental health, and help-seeking behaviour

Impact

The initiative has significantly expanded access to trauma-informed care in communities where support services were previously unavailable. By embedding trained counsellors within local institutions and safe spaces, the programme ensures that survivors of violence and trauma can receive timely emotional support and referrals when needed.

Beneficiaries report improved emotional wellbeing, stronger family relationships, and greater willingness to seek help. At the same time, counsellors themselves have gained the awareness and tools to address their own experiences of trauma, strengthening the sustainability of community-based support systems.

Read the full case study to learn how SPRiNG and Carefronting Nigeria are helping conflict-affected communities heal, rebuild trust, and strengthen resilience.