Sam, have you ever heard the expression ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’?
山姆，你有没有听说过“共享的问题就是问题减半”这句话？
Sam(山姆)
Yes, Neil, I have. Doesn’t it mean that people often feel better after talking about their problems with someone?
是的，尼尔，我有。这难道不意味着人们在与某人谈论他们的问题后往往会感觉更好吗？
Neil(尼尔)
Right - in this programme we’ll be hearing the extraordinary story of how these ideas were taken up by a team of community grandmothers in Zimbabwe.
在这个节目中，我们将听到津巴布韦社区祖母团队如何采纳这些想法的非凡故事。
Sam(山姆)
Zimbabwe has over 14 million people but fewer than 20 psychiatrists. After years of economic turmoil, unemployment and HIV, mental health is a huge challenge, and doctors estimate that one in four Zimbabweans suffers from depression or anxiety.
When it proved impossible to find free space to use in hospitals, psychiatrist Dr Dixon Chibanda, came up with the idea of turning public park benches into spaces for therapy.
He recruited grandmothers, who have both free time and plenty of life experience, to talk with individuals struggling with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and trauma.
他招募了既有空闲时间又有丰富生活经验的祖母，与与抑郁症、焦虑症和创伤等心理健康问题作斗争的人交谈。
Neil(尼尔)
The grandmothers are drawn from the local community and trained over several weeks in a talking therapy called CBT – but what does that abbreviation, CBT, stand for? That’s my quiz question. Is it: a) Chatting Based Therapy?; b) Conversation Brain Therapy? or, c) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Well, I think I’ll say c) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
好吧，我想我会说 c） 认知行为疗法。
Neil(尼尔)
OK, Sam, we’ll find out later. Now, although the recent history of Zimbabwe has left millions struggling with mental health issues, at the start of his project, Dr Dixon Chibanda was the only psychiatrist working in public health in the whole country.
And as well as a lack of provision, many villagers were suspicious of talking therapy, preferring to rely on traditional faith healers instead.
除了缺乏供应外，许多村民对谈话疗法持怀疑态度，宁愿依靠传统的信仰治疗师。
Neil(尼尔)
Which is why when Kim Chakanetsa, of BBC World Service’s The Documentary Podcast, spoke to Dr Dixon Chibanda, she started by asking him whether people were supportive of his idea:
Initially there was a lot of scepticism, a lot of resistance, particularly from colleagues who thought this was not evidence-based, and it wasn’t going to work. The whole idea of training grandmothers – I mean, this has not been done anywhere else in the world so naturally there was resistance.
At first, Dr Dixon Chibanda’s ideas were met with scepticism – an attitude of doubting whether something is useful or true.
起初，迪克森·奇班达博士的想法遭到了怀疑 —— 一种怀疑某事是否有用或真实的态度。
Neil(尼尔)
‘Grandma benches’ were a totally new idea, never seen before anywhere in the world and so his colleagues naturally felt some resistance - refusal to accept a change or new idea.
Which left Dr Dixon Chibanda feeling a little apprehensive – worried that something bad was going to happen to his project.
这让Dixon Chibanda博士感到有些担心 —— 担心他的项目会发生不好的事情。
Neil(尼尔)
Fortunately, as it turned out, Dr Dixon Chibanda’s apprehensions were wrong. Grandmothers are highly respected in Zimbabwean society and as they started listening, people began opening up and telling their stories.
The ‘grandma benches’ have empowered over 50,000 people to deal with their life problems and Dr Dixon Chibanda even has plans to move his idea online, giving the world access to a virtual Friendship Bench.
Here he is again, explaining on the BBC World Service’s The Documentary Podcast why he believes his ideas have been so successful:
在这里，他再次在BBC世界服务的纪录片播客中解释了为什么他认为他的想法如此成功：
Dr Dixon Chibanda(Dixon Chibanda 博士)
It works because it’s simple, it’s cheap and it’s run by communities, particularly grandmothers who are in essence a resource in African communities – you know, they are the custodians of local culture and wisdom – that’s why is works, and I guess, it does away with western concepts which remove the stigma that is normally associated with mental illness.
Clients are willing to share their problems with the grandmother-therapists because they are respected as cultural custodians – people with responsibility for taking care of something or trying to protect ideas or principles, in this case local customs and wisdom.
This helps do away with – or remove – the stigma attached to mental health – strong feelings of shame or disapproval which most members of a community have towards something, such as psychological illness.
这有助于消除或消除与心理健康相关的耻辱感 —— 社区的大多数成员对某事的强烈羞耻感或不赞成感。
Sam(山姆)
For Zimbabweans suffering domestic violence, unemployment and dealing with HIV, having a grandmother to talk to really can change their perceptions about how problems can be managed.
So it seems true that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’, which reminds me of our quiz question, Sam.
因此，“共享的问题就是问题减半”似乎是正确的，这让我想起了我们的测验问题，山姆。
Sam(山姆)
Yes. You asked me what the talking therapy abbreviated to CBT stands for. And I said c) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
是的。你问我CBT的谈话疗法代表什么。我说c）认知行为疗法。
Neil(尼尔)
Which is absolutely right! CBT – a way of managing problems by changing ways of thinking and behaving.
这是绝对正确的！认知行为疗法 – 一种通过改变思维和行为方式来管理问题的方法。
Sam(山姆)
So this week we’ve been hearing the inspiring story of Zimbabwean Dr Dixon Chibanda’s ‘grandma bench’ therapy - an idea which was initially met with scepticism – a doubtful attitude, and resistance – refusal to change and accept new ideas.
Dr Dixon Chibanda’s feelings of apprehension – worries that the project would fail, proved false when his team of grandmother therapists were treated as custodians – or protectors, of wisdom and life experience who really could help people suffering depression, poverty and trauma.
The success of the project helped do away with – or remove – strong feelings of shame or disapproval felt by many people regarding mental health, known as stigma. To hear more inspiring, topical stories, join us again soon here at 6 Minute English. Bye for now!
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