Over the last ten years that we have been in existence Swanchetan has provided counseling
to many survivors who have gone through violence and who had to deal with the loss
of their loved ones in a tragic manner. In several of these cases we were also asked
to interview the suspect and provide any psychological knowledge and profiling that
could help the police.
In the following cases we have worked with different facets of the crime that were
presented to us by the police to throw light upon, to help the victim with a problem
that he or she may have been facing and unable to come to terms with in the midst
of confusion and chaos.
Each of the survivors stay forever etched in the memory of our staff, the faces
of the victims leaving behind haunting images that will always remain with us reminding
us that we were called for to deal with worst hours of someone’s life.
While it has been difficult to select a few cases, the following have been chosen
because they represent some of the most representative, the most well known of the
ones seen by us. They do not necessarily represent the ones with most gravity or
seriousness and only signify the need for psychological counseling for survivors
of heinous crimes.
The records given below are the worst hours that the above people went through.
Swanchetan staff shared their sorrow and helped them to work through grief to face
their predicament and agony of that hour.
For many of us we have gone through difficult periods that seemed unending and world
full of loneliness and darkness.
As we continue to meet the grief of all those similar to above persons we find that
hope comes after trauma when one faces one’s fears.
Reconstructing memory of a rape survivor
In a case of sexual assault in south Delhi, a diplomat was brutally sexually assaulted
by two men. Swanchetan was called by Delhi police to provide therapy to the girl
and help her with emotional support to deal with her trauma. Read More
In a case of sexual assault in south Delhi, a diplomat was brutally sexually assaulted
by two men. Swanchetan was called by Delhi police to provide therapy to the girl
and help her with emotional support to deal with her trauma.
Rape is the most heinous of crimes and affects mental functions such as memory and
perception apart from seriously affecting the ability to think clearly and coherently
for the victim in the immediate aftermath of the crime.
In the several hours that Swanchetan’s psychologists spent with her after the assault,
they helped her to recall important details of the event, helped with her memory
and fragmented perceptions and reconstruct the whole event for the benefit of the
police. Collapse
Identifying malingering in an offender
In a most heinous crime of its kind, a man entered a room where two children were
playing, brutally killed both of them and then closed himself in the room and pretended
to be mentally ill. Read More
In a most heinous crime of its kind, a man entered a room where two children were
playing, brutally killed both of them and then closed himself in the room and pretended
to be mentally ill.
Swanchetan was called for the counseling of the parents and provide support and
we were also asked by the police to help them in talking to this man who was pretending
to be psychotic.
The on the scene assessment by our psychologists on his behavior were given to the
court that clearly presented him to be man clearly in his senses and who did not
act under any delusion or hallucinations.
Our psychologists testified in the courts about his mental status and were accepted
by the courts as a reliable account of the events of the twin homicides. Collapse
Supportive therapy for a rape survivor
A woman from a European country was brutally raped by a man while on a visit to
India and threatened with dire consequences if she reported the matter to the police.
She did pick up the courage to report the matter to the police and the police informed
the embassy who informed Swanchetan to provide her with emotional support.Read More
A woman from a European country was brutally raped by a man while on a visit to
India and threatened with dire consequences if she reported the matter to the police.
She did pick up the courage to report the matter to the police and the police informed
the embassy who informed Swanchetan to provide her with emotional support.
Swanchetan staff found her completely traumatized when they reached her and her
narrative to be very fragmented. With the help of a number of counseling sessions,
they helped her to recall the sequence of events and share them in the court. She
regularly stayed in touch with us for a long time till the man responsible for this
was sentenced.
A short one line from her to us after the sentencing said it all. It said,
‘Thanks for being there for me when I just wanted to die and finish it all’
Collapse
Preventing suicide in a very lonely woman
The helpline 1091 of Delhi police referred us the case of an acutely suicidal woman
who was alone in her home. She wanted to end her life as she felt unwanted and uncared
for by everyone.Read More
The helpline 1091 of Delhi police referred us the case of an acutely suicidal woman
who was alone in her home. She wanted to end her life as she felt unwanted and uncared
for by everyone.
It was 4 am in the morning when she had called us up.
Over a session of about an hour Swanchetan staff kept her on the phone line awake
and convinced her to take immediate help and not kill herself.
She finally allowed someone close to her to come and save her and take her to a
hospital.
She survived this ordeal and continues to live her life. In a message to us she
said she is glad that someone gave her the support she so badly needed in those
minutes. Collapse
Interviewing a mentally challenged girl for her testimony
Delhi Police referred the case of a mentally challenged girl who was brutally raped
in a deserted area near a forest. The girl was mentally challenged, was unable to
give a coherent description of the event that led to the rape and neither could
give a description of the rapist. Read More
Delhi Police referred the case of a mentally challenged girl who was brutally raped
in a deserted area near a forest. The girl was mentally challenged, was unable to
give a coherent description of the event that led to the rape and neither could
give a description of the rapist.
With painstaking effort the psychologists in Swanchetan helped her reconstruct some
of the small details of the assault that she could only describe with the help of
her limited abilities and expressions. She could testify this in the court in the
presence of the psychologist and also identified the perpetrator in the court. This
was one of the first cases in which psychological evidence was crucial in the victim
being able to reconstruct and share the whole trauma. Collapse
Teenage cyber crimes
In a case what symbolizes teenagers do to experiment with their bodies without thinking
of the consequences and the horrifying results it leads to shattering lives forever. Read More
In a case what symbolizes teenagers do to experiment with their bodies without thinking
of the consequences and the horrifying results it leads to shattering lives forever.
Swanchetan was called to provide therapy in this case for one of the victims keeping
in mind the tender age of those involved. It presented a challenge to deal with
an extremely complex case and protect the survivors and the family involved.
For three days we dealt with feelings of shame and depression, a fragile identity
that needed to be protected and lastly to see that it does not lead to devastating
effects. Collapse
Child witness in a heinous murder
In another case a five year old child was the sole witness of his mother and her
male friend dead in a room which looked like a suicide. Read More
In another case a five year old child was the sole witness of his mother and her
male friend dead in a room which looked like a suicide. In several sessions of counseling
the child started weeping and shared that his mother was murdered first and then
her male friend by his father. The father confessed to the murder of his wife and
his friend as he was jealous of their relationship and felt very provoked.
The child was very scared and it took us many sessions to help him work through
his feeling and come to terms with his memories. Collapse
Child rape and homicide
Child rape is the most heinous of crimes. In a case a five year child was murdered
and her body thrown in a water tank, the police had rounded up several suspects
and asked Swanchetan’s psychologists to help in interrogations. Read More
Child rape is the most heinous of crimes. In a case a five year child was murdered
and her body thrown in a water tank, the police had rounded up several suspects
and asked Swanchetan’s psychologists to help in interrogations. Over a large number
of interrogation sessions one of the accused finally started presenting features
that showed a strong sexual interest in children that led to zeroing down of him
as an offender.
Finally he confessed to the crime when presented with evidence of his attraction
towards children and his behavior. Collapse
Psychological interviewing for trafficked children
A fourteen year old girl was used as a courier for a drug cartel and used by them
for prostitution for its clients. The girl was noticed as behaving oddly by a professor
of Delhi University who notified the national human rights commission who asked
Delhi police to interview the girl. Read More
A fourteen year old girl was used as a courier for a drug cartel and used by them
for prostitution for its clients. The girl was noticed as behaving oddly by a professor
of Delhi University who notified the national human rights commission who asked
Delhi police to interview the girl.
Delhi police on finding nothing from her asked Swanchetan staff to look into this
that after a long interview found the girl breaking down and unable to hold herself
and revealed her story of torment by this gang.
The gang exploiting her was arrested based on her testimony and sentenced. The girl
stood through the whole case and courageously gave her testimony. Collapse