Psychosocial Support: Mental Health Care for Disaster Survivors

Dear Initiators, every disaster has its impact on the survivors. These effects can include environmental damage, destruction of infrastructure, loss of possessions, and even psychological trauma. Unfortunately, many survivors require regular care to recover from the psychological trauma they have experienced. It is concerning when those suffering from trauma do not receive appropriate intervention. Therefore, providing psychosocial support is crucial for disaster survivors to alleviate the trauma from their experiences.

What is Psychosocial Support?

The term psychosocial comes from two words: psycho and social. Psychosocial support relates to both psychology and social science. According to Papyrus, the psychological aspect includes internal elements such as emotions, thoughts, feelings, and reactions. On the other hand, the social aspect refers to external elements like relationships, social networks, social values, and even cultural practices. Thus, psychosocial support can be understood as actions aimed at addressing both the psychological and social needs of individuals and communities after trauma.

Layers of Providing Psychosocial Support

In practice, psychosocial support has several layers to address the needs of disaster survivors. Below, Human Initiative shares these layers according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Let’s take a look:

The first layer is basic protective services. In this layer, disaster survivors have the right to receive support in the form of basic needs (food, water, shelter, etc.). This support is a fundamental human right, ensuring that the survivors feel their basic needs are met. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that all survivors can access help without discrimination.

The second layer involves community and survivor group support. This layer helps the community and survivors stay strong emotionally and socially. Socially, survivors receive activities that help strengthen their social relationships, such as mutual support after a disaster. On the other hand, survivors also need psychological support to maintain their mental well-being.

The third layer is focused psychosocial support. In this layer, survivors are entitled to receive further assistance if they struggle to cope with their situation. This support often comes in the form of group counseling or family support. The counselors can also come from non-specialist backgrounds but should be trained and guided to address mental health issues.

The final layer involves clinical mental health services. This layer is specific and required for individuals who experience severe psychological disorders. The impact of such disorders makes it difficult for them to carry out daily activities. Therefore, professional and specially trained counselors are needed to handle trauma in disaster survivors.

Forms of Psychosocial Support for Disaster Survivors

Psychosocial support can be categorized into two types: repressive (treatment) and preventive (prevention) actions. Each type of intervention serves a different purpose. Below are the forms of psychosocial support that can be provided to disaster survivors:

Repressive actions include individual or group counseling sessions, therapy activities such as art, music, and play for children, assisting victims who experience deep sadness or prolonged fear, psychological therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and community support through social activities.

Preventive actions include education on how to cope with stress and trauma caused by disasters, mental and psychosocial resilience training, encouraging communities to help each other and foster a sense of unity, and providing safe spaces for children and the elderly to receive emotional support.

Dear Initiators, psychosocial support is incredibly important for disaster survivors. The disasters that take away their possessions, homes, and even their families can leave deep psychological scars. Therefore, it’s essential for us to provide support that makes them feel safe, comfortable, and motivated to move forward in the face of hardship. Their smiles are also our smiles.

You can help provide support to those in need through solusipeduli.org.

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