Dr. Helen Liebling

Helen has been carrying out applied research with survivors of conflict and post-conflict sexual violence and torture in Africa since 1998. Helen has numerous journal publications including two books: ‘Ugandan Women War Survivors’ (Liebling-Kalifani, 2009) and ‘Justice and Health Provision for Survivors of Sexual Violence’ (Liebling & Baker, 2010). Helen’s research includes several innovations in theory including a re-conceptualisation of trauma, integrated justice and health approaches, and a holistic approach for service provision for conflict-affected survivors, the arguments for entitlement to health care being a human rights issue and policies for war survivors as well as governance and sexual violence. Helen has carried out consultancies, training and interventions in Africa to enhance support for conflict survivors and service providers in conjunction with Isis-WICCE, Uganda. Consequently Helen has had her policy recommendations adopted by the pre-consultative meeting in gender mainstreaming in the African Union and the executive summary and published book were presented to the President of Uganda who stated he would act on their recommendations. Furthermore, the South African Correctional Department recommended implementation of Helen’s research and policy recommendations to inform services for conflict survivors at trauma centres opened in Gulu and Kitgum, northern Uganda. Helen has also carried out research with refugees in the UK and the recently held conference in Coventry led to discussion of the policy recommendations developed in the Houses of Parliament.

Journal Articles

Liebling H., Davidson, L., Akello, G. F., & Ochola, G. (2016) The Experiences of Survivors and Trauma Counselling Service Providers in northern Uganda: Implications for Mental Health Policy and Legislation. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 49, 84-92.

Goodman, S., Burke, S., Liebling, H., and Zasada, D. (2015) ''I Can't Go Back Because If I Go Back I Would Die’: How Asylum Seekers Manage Talk about Returning Home by Highlighting the Importance of Safety'. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology 25 (4), 327-339.
Liebling, H., Burke, S., Goodman, S., and Zasada, D. (2014) ‘Understanding the Experiences of Asylum Seekers’. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care 10 (4), 207-219
Liebling, H., Davidson, L., Akello, F.G., and Ochola, G. (2014). ‘Improvements to National Health Policy: Mental Health, Mental Health Bill, Legislation and Justice’. African Journal of Traumatic Stress 3 (2), 55-64
Liebling, H., Winter, D., Ruratotoye, B., Slegh, H., and Brown, R. (2014) 'Resilience in the face of adversity: Case studies in Sierra Leone and Eastern Congo'. Clinical Psychology Forum 258, 61-65.
Clare, M., Goodman, S., Liebling, H., and Laing, H. (2014) ‘You keep yourself Strong: A Discourse Analysis of African Women Asylum Seekers Talk about Emotions’. Journal of International Women’s Studies 15 (1), 83-95.
Goodman, S., Burke, S., Liebling, H., and Zasada, D. (2013) ‘“I’m not happy, but I’m ok”: How asylum seekers manage talk about difficulties in their host country’. Critical Discourse Studies, 11 (1), 1-22.
Liebling, H., Slegh, H., and Ruratotoye B. (2012) ‘Women and Girls Bearing Children through Rape in Goma, Eastern Congo: Stigma, Health and Justice Responses’. Itupale Online Journal of African Studies 4, 18-44.
Liebling, H. (2012) ‘Experiences of a young girl abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, Northern Uganda’. Psychology of Women Section Review 14 (1), 44-48.
Sherwood, K., and Liebling, H. (2012) ‘A Grounded Theory Investigation into the Experiences of African Women Refugees: Effects on Resilience and Identity and Implications for Service Provision’. Journal of International Women’s Studies 13 (1), 86-108.
Liebling-Kalifani, H., Mwaka, V., Ojiambo-Ochieng, R., Were-Oguttu, J., Kinyanda, E., Kwekwe, D., Howard, L., Danuweli, C., Kollie, P., Colley, B.B., Sayndee, D., Pietsch, S., and Bowier, E. (2011) ‘Women War Survivors of the 1989-2003 Conflict in Liberia: The Impact of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence’. Journal of International Women’s Studies 12 (1), 1-21.
Liebling-Kalifani, H., and Baker, B. (2010) ‘Women War Survivors of Sexual Violence in Liberia: Inequalities in Health, Resilience and Justice’. The Journal of International Social Research: Woman Studies Special Issue 3 (13), 188-199.
Liebling-Kalifani, H., Winter, D., Musisi, S., and Nakigudde, J. (2010) ‘Research, Training and Consultancy with War Survivors in Africa’. in Clinical Psychology Forum Special Issue Clinical Psychology around the World. ed. by Latchford, G., and Melluish, S. Leicester: Division of Clinical Psychology, British Psychological Society , 69-91.
Crawford, E., Liebling-Kalifani, H., and Hill, V. (2009) ‘Women’s understanding of the effects of domestic abuse: the impact on their identity, sense of self and resilience: a grounded theory approach’. Journal of International Women’s Studies 11 (2), 63-82.
Liebling-Kalifani, H., Ojiambo-Ochieng, R., Marshall, A., Were-Oguttu, J., Musisi, S., and Kinyanda, E. (2008) ‘Violence against Women in Northern Uganda: The Neglected Health Consequences of War’. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 9 (3), 174-192.
Liebling-Kalifani, H., Marshall, A., Ojiambo-Ochieng, R., and Nassozi, M. (2007) ‘Experiences of Women War-Torture Survivors in Uganda: Implications for Health and Human Rights’. Journal of International Women’s Studies 8 (4), 1-17.

Book Publications

Liebling. H., and Baker, B. (2010) Justice and Health Provision for Survivors of Sexual Violence: a case study of Kitgum, northern Uganda. Germany: LAP Lambert.
Liebling-Kalifani, H. (2009) A gendered analysis of the experiences of Ugandan women war survivors. Germany: VDM Verlag.

Book Chapters

Liebling, H. (accepted for publication) Service Responses for Survivors of Conflict and Post-Conflict Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Torture in the Great Lakes Region. Colleen O'Manique and Pieter Fourie (Eds.) Global Health and Security: Critical Feminist Perspectives.
Liebling, H. (2015) 'Conflict and Post-Conflict Sexual Violence in Africa: Case Studies of Liberia, northern Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo'. in Sex Crimes: Transnational Problems and Global Perspectives. ed by Ackerman, A.R. and Furman, R. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Liebling-Kalifani, H. (2010) ‘Research and Intervention with Women War Survivors in Uganda: Resilience and Suffering as the Consequences of War’ in Global Perspectives on War, Medicine and Gender: The Sociology and Anthropology of Structural Suffering. ed. by Bradby, H., and Lewando-Hundt, G. Surrey: Ashgate, 69-90
Liebling-Kalifani, H., Marshall, A., Ojiambo-Ochieng, R., and Nassozi, M. (2009) ‘Experiences of Women War-Torture Survivors in Uganda: Implications for Health and Human Rights’. in Women and Armed Conflicts: Consequences and Coping Mechanisms. ed. by Multani, S.K. India: The Icfai University Press, 129-150.

Doctorate (D.Clin.Psy): 34 completions. 4 current trainees.