'Communication skills, training must for providing psychological aid to quake victims'

By Riyaz ul Khaliq and Halil Ibrahim Medet

ISTANBUL (AA) – Psychological aid is as important as any other kind of aid provided to disaster-hit people, experts say in the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye.

But in order to provide psychosocial support, professionals and volunteers involved in the process must have good communication skills and the patience to listen to the victims’ stories.

To extend such aid to quake-affected Turkish people, nearly three dozen non-governmental organizations collaborated to conduct virtual training sessions for hundreds of volunteers.

Orhan Cokca, chairman of the Istanbul-based Mutlu Aile Mutlu Cocuk Dernegi (Happy Family Happy Child Association), told Anadolu they are working with 33 organizations to prepare for “proper counseling of the traumatized quake-hit people.”

“Our psychology experts and specialists taught volunteers how to behave with these people,” Cokca said, adding they received some 12,000 applications for the recently concluded five counseling sessions.

Given the sensitivity involved around the trauma, Cokca said “sometimes, people even with an intention to do good (for victims) end up hurting the victims. That is why providing psychological aid is significant to know the real requirements of disaster-hit people.”

He said that during the workshops, the specialists explained to volunteers “how to behave with victims during their loss and mourning process. We must understand sensitivity, that someone has lost their loved ones.”

Founded in 2005 and working across Türkiye in 51 cities, the Happy Family Happy Child Association sent its volunteers into the field soon after the quakes.

At its headquarters in Istanbul, the association also engages around 30 students who are pursuing their masters and doctorate degrees as interns and fellows, and are given stipends to support their studies.

- 'Stand and listen'

Cokca said the volunteers “need to stand and listen to the affected person, which requires patience.”

“We should not try to comfort the victim because consolation can also lead to misdirection,” he added.

Urging against engaging therapists at this stage, Cokca said “victims have to be given ample time to fully understand what has befallen him or her, and after some time … therapy should begin.”

“We are not in a rush. We are waiting and making our preparations based on the backgrounds of the victims,” he said, explaining the strategy to engage with people affected by the twin earthquakes, which resulted in deaths of more than 44,000 people.

He said the professionals and volunteers in the field are “observing the victims -- individuals and families.”

“While our volunteers are playing with children, at the same time, they are noting different reactions from them,” he added.

Cokca said the current times are “challenging for everyone, including those who went to the quake-hit regions to physically extend help.”

“So it is important that these volunteers and helpers should have psychological endurance,” he said, stressing that “proper communication and know-how of psychological crisis management in the field is a basic requirement of engaging with the victims.”

“Never raise the voice. Volunteers must know how to listen,” he said, warning that interactions with victims will “have negative results if unexperienced volunteers engage in psychological support.

- Need for motivation

Volunteers working on the ground also pointed to the need for "motivation and psychological support" to the quake-affected people.

Ismail Ozdemir, who volunteered with the Hasene Vakfi (Foundation) in quake-hit southern Türkiye, told Anadolu: “People have everything like food, water, mobile medical clinics, mobile kitchens and electricity, but what people need is motivation."