Aslı Karanis Kara, one of the expert psychologists of Beylikdüzü Municipality, drew attention to the adaptation process that the students who transfer from the earthquake zone to other provinces and districts will experience. Stating that especially the employees in schools have a great responsibility, Kara emphasized that parents should also act consciously in this regard.
Specialist psychologist Aslı Karanis Kara, who works at the Beylikdüzü Municipality Women and Family Services Directorate, shared important information about the adaptation process of students who were transferred from disaster areas to schools in other provinces and districts. After two major earthquakes that deeply affected Turkey, Kara touched upon the issues that school administrations, teachers and parents should pay attention to so that the psychology of children is not adversely affected. Stating that the process is a worrying situation for everyone, Kara said, “The earthquake did not only affect us physically. It also made us feel psychologically insecure. In a period that has just begun, it may be our students coming from the disaster area at schools, our citizens visiting our neighbors. In a situation like this, I would constantly ask them, ‘How did it happen, what did you do?’ Expecting them to explain by asking questions such as these causes more sadness and anxiety than making us a constant reminder factor for the people in front of us. “It will make them feel better and safer to ask if we can do something for them to help them.”
“The calm and compassionate approach of all staff in schools is very important”
Emphasizing that all employees in the schools have a great role in the adaptation of children who start the education process in their new schools, Kara said, “It is necessary to ensure that children do not constantly shower new students with questions, and to be supportive and patient in the adaptation processes. In the process, students who have a high level of anxiety and cannot live without their families should talk to their guidance counselors and provide the right guidance. The fact that teachers take questions from children one-to-one during recess and communicate with them one-on-one shows that they are not alone and have supporters. The calm and compassionate approach of all staff in schools is very important. In this process, we need to strengthen our communication by ensuring our emotion regulation.”
“We need to make our child express their feelings”
Emphasizing that parents’ approach is also of great importance in children’s communication with their peers affected by the earthquake, Kara said, “Parents know their children much better. If the families know about the new students who will start the school beforehand, they can give a warning and an explanation about it. Since we do not know what children know and how much they are aware of, we need to fully listen to all questions from our children. They have to tell and warn that their new friends have come because of the natural disaster they have experienced and that they will be visiting for a while. But of course, children will still have curiosity. It is necessary to ensure that they ask these questions to their parents or teachers during recess. It may be difficult for parents to talk about and question their feelings due to the situation experienced. In these situations, we should get our child to express their feelings rather than what we should say ourselves. We can share our sadness, but we should not appear anxious or panicked.”
Care should be taken when creating disaster awareness in children
Sharing the points that parents should pay attention to when creating disaster awareness in children, Kara said, “The way we explain this situation to our children varies according to age groups, and we need to first explain to our children under the age of 12 that this is a natural event. It is very important to show the importance of taking precautions by playing games. Children over the age of 12, on the other hand, need to take their questions specifically and answer them with clear and sharp sentences, since the source of information cannot only be their parents due to today’s technologies. “We should be able to make contact as long as they allow it,” he said. Citizens who came to Beylikdüzü after the earthquake and want to receive psychological support can make an appointment by calling the call center of Beylikdüzü Municipality at 444 09 39.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
