Ephesus Selçuk Municipality Women’s Solidarity and Disability-Free Life Center provides psychological counseling for citizens who came to the city after the earthquake. Psychological first aid support is provided by enabling citizens to share their experiences during home visits made by psychologists for citizens affected by the earthquake.
Psychologist Birgül Gönül and Psychologist Özgül Karaalioğlu gave information about the psychological counseling service organized for citizens who came to Ephesus Selçuk after the earthquake within the body of Yavuz Efes Selçuk Municipality Women’s Solidarity and Barrier-Free Life Center.
Psychologist Birgül Gönül informed that the sense of uncertainty comes to the fore in individuals coming from the earthquake region due to the disruption of their routines; “At this stage, we show them that they are in the safe area here. We remind them of what they have been through and how they have been able to cope with them. We are talking about what they can do in terms of carrying out their routines here as well. We say that children who will go to schools will be identified and ensured that they can go to school. We are chatting with them about the realization of these activities, as they will increase their mental well-being with activities such as cooking, washing clothes and going shopping, just like in their own homes.”
Psychologist Özgül Karaalioğlu Yavuz also stated that the psychological support process was aimed at organizing the lives of individuals affected by the earthquake; “We will follow up with the families we contacted first by phone for two or three weeks. We direct our children from the disaster area to the Directorate of National Education for their school attendance. If there are health problems, we refer them to health institutions. We will also plan workshops for our children. We are planning to organize group therapy activities where mothers and children will be together. There is a desire from the families we visited for group work rather than individual therapy during this process.”
Earthquake survivors who came to Ephesus Selçuk after the earthquake will be able to apply to SELBİM (444 8 892) or Efes Selçuk Municipality Women’s Solidarity and Barrier-Free Life Center (0232 892 27 35) to benefit from psychological counseling services.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
