"I Want to Punish Him'': A Case Study of Systemic Family Therapy inZimbabwe

This case study presents the therapy journey of a 26-year-old Zimbabwean woman with self-diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rooted in childhood exposure to domestic violence. Clinical assessment using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) confirmed symptoms of trauma, depression, and suicidal ideation. The client’s unresolved emotional pain was compounded by substance use, academic failure abroad, unemployment, and estrangement from her abusive father. Therapy employed an integrative systemic approach drawing on family therapy, narrative trauma processing, and culturally sensitive adaptations such as a no-harm contract tailored to Zimbabwean realities. Collaboration with psychiatric services ensured medication support and risk management. The therapy explored maternal triangulation, intergenerational patterns of vilification, and cultural attributions of witchcraft within the family. This paper highlights how a contextualised family systems therapy, grounded in systemic thinking and supported by multidisciplinary input, can foster healing in clients with complex trauma, especially in African cultural settings.