Samvedna Shakti: An Empowerment Program for South Asian Immigrant Women Survivors of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence within the South Asian community in the United States is on the rise, and has been a largely ignored social problem by community leaders. The dynamics of South Asian culture, the system of patriarchy, and gender role socialization process greatly impact the experiences of South Asian women within the marital institution, and serve to keep them trapped in abusive situations. Many of the services currently available in South Asian Women's Organizations across the US are aimed at assisting women with immediate crises, such as removing themselves from an abusive relationship, and locating a safe shelter. A structured empowerment program was lacking within the community. The following project is a group psychotherapy program development for South Asian domestic violence survivors. The development was guided by a thorough review of the literature and a needs assessment, conducted with five South Asian professionals. Samvedna Shakti is a 20-session, culturally grounded empowerment program based on Narrative Therapy. Each woman will have an opportunity to critically examine her culture, gender roles and expectations, cultural ideologies, and the ways in which she has been oppressed by patriarchy. It is hoped that sharing their narratives and examining their values will enable women to feel more empowered, and to make lasting changes as they re-author their lives and embrace new role models. Limitations and challenges of the present project and ideas for future research are included.