Who we are

The Garden of Life is a Center for Life Enrichment and Training in Professional Counselling in Cambodia.

The Garden of Life is reaching out to Cambodians with training, counselling and other life enrichment services. Garden of Life applies professional counselling methods and therapies for healing in a non-harmful and safe environment.

A tragic history and its impact on a nation today

Since Pol Pot’s crimes against humanity in the 1970ties, a majority of Cambodians have struggled with mental disorders, like post-traumatic stress, anxiety, mistrust, and broken morals and values. Those who survived the dreadful genocide were afterwards left in extreme poverty for decades, with the state sector and an entire society to be rebuilt over again.

Poverty and lack of state-services have, as well as inter-generational transmission of trauma from the genocide, contributed to some of nowadays problems in the country, such as very high rate of crime, suicide, exploitation, drug-abuse, domestic violence, dysfunctional families and self-destruction. The national Ministry of Health acknowledges these mental health problems and the need for care and service.

However, there is a lack of professional healing providers to address mental health disorders, thus the majority of people who are suffering have no other options than trying to cope with it. This can have devastating impact on their own wellbeing, life-harmony and their ability to be well-functioning citizens making reflective decisions; as well as impacting social relationships.

Garden of Life’s response to mental health concern

The Garden of Life is offering two types of intervention to address the lack of mental health care and healing service in Cambodia;

  • Providing training in professional counselling to medical care givers, civil society employees, and others dealing directly with people in need of mental health care and healing. The training program uses professional trainers, and is based on international standards.
  • Providing various life enrichment services, such as in-person counselling to clients at the Counselling Center in Phnom Penh, as well as online counselling. The Center has professional trained Cambodian counsellors, which means the counselling service is done in the local language, Khmer.

 

Garden of Life’s work approaches

Since the beginning of Garden of Life, it has been a key-approach to collect views and insights from beneficiaries, partners and networks for ongoing need-assessment, analysis and planning, especially related to the training program. It enables the Garden of Life to understand the Cambodians’ mental health struggles and their desire for professional help. Thus, the Garden of Life is responding to the needs of the nation.

The Garden of Life’s work is faith-based and rooted in Christian principles and values. The work is done through love and compassion, no matter the religious background of beneficiaries. The Garden of Life team is highly professional and provides training and counselling to Cambodian women and men; both adults and young people from age 16 and up.