Scaling delivery of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and the NETFacts community model for young survivors of gender-based violence in Guinea

The adolescent mental health burden is increasing, particularly among survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), who face a higher risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In Guinea, where 48% of people are under 18, GBV is pervasive and existing support focuses on physical health. Our previous work revealed major gaps in mental health care due to a lack of trained professionals. Addressing this will enable early intervention, which is critical to improve long-term mental health outcomes for young people. The proposed solution is training local practitioners in Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), a scalable trauma-focused treatment effective in low-resource settings, and its community-based variant, NETfacts. NETfacts offers individual treatment with community reconciliation, reducing stigma and improving long-term outcomes. This study will test if NET/NETfacts provides an effective, low-cost, scalable intervention for young GBV survivors in Guinea. Our partnership—UCL, UNFPA, CJFLG, Guinean Health Ministry, vivo (NETfacts developers) and Universities of Conakry and Konstanz —will develop and evaluate this approach. During the Foundation Phase, the team, youth with lived experience, and stakeholders will co-design the adapted intervention for Guinea, the implementation and scale-up plan using UNFPA/CJFLG’s networks and a robust methodology to assess effectiveness and economic feasibility.