Concepts, forms, and the counselor's response
CTEVT PSC curriculumCTEVT PSC curriculum: on the official Psychosocial Counselor syllabus, can appear in the exam. Beyond curriculum: added for completeness, not examinable. A chip like 296.2x · F32 is the diagnosis code: the DSM-5's older ICD-9-CM number, then the ICD-10 "F-code" used in hospital records. Non-students can ignore all of these.
Core distinctions the curriculum tests:
- Sex vs gender: sex is biology; gender is the roles, expectations, and power a society attaches to it
- Gender roles (who cooks, who inherits) and gender needs (practical vs strategic)
- Equality (same treatment) vs equity (fair treatment that closes gaps)
- Sexuality as a normal dimension of the person
Forms of GBV:
- Physical
- Sexual
- Emotional or psychological
- Economic (denying money, property, work)
- Harmful traditional practices: in Nepal: child marriage, dowry-related violence, chhaupadi (menstrual exclusion), witchcraft ("boksi") accusations, and trafficking
Causes run through power inequality, norms that excuse violence, impunity, and alcohol as an accelerant: never as an excuse.
| Survivor-centred principle | In practice |
|---|---|
| Safety first | Is it safe to go home tonight? Safe place, safe timing of sessions, danger assessment before anything else |
| Confidentiality | Records coded; information shared only with consent, except child protection, imminent danger to life, or a legal duty, and then only the minimum needed: a leak can be lethal |
| Respect & autonomy | The survivor decides: whether to report, leave, stay; your job is options, not orders |
| Non-discrimination | Belief, not blame. Never "why didn't you leave?", never "what were you wearing?" |
| Referral, coordinated | Health, as soon as possible: within 72 hours for HIV prevention (PEP), within 120 hours for emergency contraception, and care still helps at any time; police/OCMC one-stop crisis management centres, safe houses, legal aid: with consent at every step |
Nepal's NDHS surveys have consistently found that a large share of ever-married women report experiencing spousal violence, most never seeking help. The system pieces you must know by name: OCMC (One-stop Crisis Management Centres in hospitals), the National Women Commission's 1145 "Khabar Garaun" helpline, judicial committees at the local level, and safe houses run by organisations like WOREC and Saathi. Marital rape is a crime in Nepal. Couple counselling is contraindicated while violence is active: see Approaches & forms.
Test yourself
1) Distinguish gender equality from equity with a Nepali schooling example. 2) A survivor discloses last night's beating but forbids you to tell anyone; her danger signs are high. Walk through what survivor-centred practice allows, what safety requires, and how you hold both. 3) Name the four GBV forms hidden in: "He took her wages, mocked her in front of guests, and she sleeps in the shed during her period."
Model answer: mapping the four forms
The sentence "He took her wages, mocked her in front of guests, and she sleeps in the shed during her period" hides four forms of violence.
Economic violence: he took her wages, denying her money and control over property.
Emotional or psychological violence: mocking her in front of guests is public humiliation that strips her of dignity and standing in the community.
Physical violence: she sleeps in the shed because she is not safe inside the home, which implies physical harm or the threat of it.
Cultural practice: the shed during her period points to menstrual exclusion, known locally as chhaupadi, a harmful traditional practice that the curriculum names.