Women's Day: South Asia’s ‘only peace psychologist’ is a 34-year-old from Kashmir

Ufra Mir has been practising for more than 10 years now, mostly working in different parts of India, Myanmar, Afghanistan and some Southeast Asian countries.

It was a childhood in conflict-ridden Kashmir that sparked an interest in 34-year-old Ufra Mir to study peace psychology.

Born in Srinagar city’s downtown area, Mir wanted to understand the larger impact of conflict on people in the Valley, leading her to explore peace psychology at the Mahindra United World College (UWC), Pune.

“I happened to be the first Kashmiri to get admission on full scholarship at a UWC where I started studying psychology and getting trained in peace-building techniques as a teenager under the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Later on, I went to the US and the UK to continue on this path," she told Moneycontrol in an interview, and added that she is the first first and only peace psychologist in all of South Asia.

She has been practising for more than 10 years now, mostly working in different parts of India, Myanmar, Afghanistan and some Southeast Asian countries.

Mir says peace psychology is a sub-branch of psychology introduced in the early 1900s that became more relevant post the World Wars but is still not well-known. It looks at the psychological impact of conflict and the scope of peace by studying mental processes, emotions, behaviours and attitudes. Her work itself lies in the intersection of varied disciplines-- psychology, mental health, psychosocial support, education, arts, conflict transformation and peace-building.

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Working on peace

Mir is the sole earner in her family, yet she does a large amount of work without charging a fee. 

For example Mir designs and facilitates experiential workshops and interventions on destigmatisation and awareness of mental health, emotional wellbeing and intelligence, care practices and empathy. “I have also been creating community-based spaces where people gather and share their stories of struggle related to mental health, conflict and hopes for a better future. I continuously also collate and share resources with mental health professionals,” she says.

Mir is the founding executive director of a peace non-profit organisation, Paigaam: A Message for Peace that she started in college. She is also the founder of the International Centre for Peace Psychology, which focuses on practice, research, advocacy and education in the field of peace psychology, and works in collaboration with local and global universities and institutions.

Her journey

Students of Scholars School in Kashmir listening intently to Ufra Mir

Mir spent her childhood in Khanyar locality of Srinagar, where conflict was taking a toll on everyone—physically, emotionally, financially. Her father incurred huge losses in his small business and ultimately the whole family had to shift to Ladakh. That is where Mir completed her schooling.

When she started on her unique career, she had to face many obstacles. For one, she was entering a field that hadn’t been widely explored, at least in South Asia. Therefore, pursuing peace psychology proved an uphill task, “without proper financial and emotional support, and a mentorship system”. Secondly, as a woman in a conflict-torn place like Kashmir, she had to be careful while organising workshops, interventions and community programmes. Thirdly, she lives in a patriarchal and conservative society, which does not condone women choosing a less-familiar professional path. 

Lastly, there is a mushrooming of self-styled mental health experts in Kashmir, who do more harm than good.

Despite these hurdles, Mir has many accomplishments to her name. 

She has since received international recognition, having presented her work and created an impact at many forums including the World Economic Forum’s Global Shaper Hub, Nobel Peace Prize forums and the Clinton Global Initiative, and has been invited as a TEDx speaker, besides addressing the UN’s World Conference on Women. She has also been invited as a guest lecturer at international universities.

While completing her degrees from the US and UK, Mir also underwent formal training in various international conflict management processes such as conflict resolution, management and reconciliation, negotiation, facilitation, dialogue and change management.

Academic brilliance

Her roll-call of academic achievements is also impressive. She holds a diploma in leadership development from the Swedish Institute, where she was selected as one of the 30 global young leaders in 2013. She has also done courses from the University of Nottingham (UK). Mir has received certifications in Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation from the University of Rhode Island (US); in digital peace education from GPPAC (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, The Hague, Netherlands); in conflict sensitivity from swisspeace; and in mental health (mhGap) training by the Royal College of Psychiatry (London) and Department of Psychiatry (Kashmir). Most recently, she finished another course on change management by the University of Glasgow (Scotland).

In early 2021, Mir was selected for a course in Negotiation and Mediation at the University of Oxford.

She also holds the lifetime membership at Psi-Chi: the International Honor Society in Psychology (US), and is a member of Global Mental Health Action Network (associated with the World Health Organisation) working on issues related to youth, women and conflicts.

In Kashmir, Mir works with youngsters affected by mental-health issues; with orphans who have lost their parents in conflict; with young children whose education has been impacted negatively; with ‘half-widows’ who are still awaiting the arrival of their disappeared husbands; and with women entrepreneurs from rural areas who struggle to survive.

“On an average, I get 5-10 requests daily from people who reach out to me to share their issues,” she said.

Mir offers them a  safe space to talk and listens to them, but refers them to clinical or counselling psychologists or therapists, depending on their needs. She has now started putting aside some money every month to help youngsters who need therapy but cannot afford it.