AAPTI: An Avenue for psychosocial and Therapeutic Interventions

Locations: Mumbai

Sponsor: Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies

An absence of support beyond emergency health care and one time ex-gratia, in the context of mass emergency events, led to this field action project.

The project emerged from the TISS - TPSWT response to 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack 2008 and later extended to centrifugal disasters such as 13/7 Mumbai Triple Bomb Blast, 2011 and 9/12 Kolkata AMRI Hospital Fire, 2011 with the following objectives:

1. Understand and document the unique needs and concerns of the survivors.
2. Understand recovery trajectories in the Indian context
3. Develop and test indigenous theoretical models of response and advocate for appropriate policy change

The key features of the AAPTI approach to recovery and psychosocial interventions in the context of centrifugal disasters are:

• Integrated Recovery and Psychosocial Interventions
• Convergence of All Services Under One Roof- AAPTI
• Active Outreach, Ongoing Assessment and Analysis that informs interventions
• Ensuring stable and supportive relationship with each survivor/affected family
• Rights Based and Survivor Centered Approach
• Address the pathologization, dehumanization, control and de-politicization of survivors