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Community counselors provide counselling for traumatized communities in the aftermath of large- scale natural disasters. They are trained in basic psychological techniques but are not necessarily professional psychologists. While the concept of lay community counselors is not new, the most commonly known usage was implemented by Dr U. Gauthamadas in the immediate aftermath of the Super Tsunami of 2. He organised a team to provide counselling for the thousands of survivors among coastal villages in the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu, India. Introduction. Mindful of problems of entry into the ethnocentric fishing community, whose social fabric had been rendered fragile by the aftermath of the Tsunami, ADEPT was faced with the issue of dealing with the psychological trauma suffered by nearly 1. Counseling in emergency situations is a labor- intensive activity and at that time there was the dearth of trained personnel, especially at short notice. The premise for the work undertaken by ADEPT in the aftermath of the Tsunami was that the human mind had been both the biggest victim and the strongest survivor and therefore trauma counseling was the greatest challenge. While one may define trauma as a condition that overwhelms ordinary human life, we must also recognize the different psychological needs in cases of individual and collective trauma. The model of crisis intervention adopted by ADEPT includes the following: the need for developing an alternate model for dealing with the psychological trauma of survivors in the aftermath of the Tsunami. ADEPT has evolved with lessons learned in the field. The Challenges. However traumatic events, such as a natural disaster, spawn new . In such transitory communities the blow is not just to the individual psyche, but to the tissues of social life and the bonds that bind these communities together. The 5. 1 Tsunami affected villages in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, are geographically removed from urbanization. These villages had not been exposed to the effects of Globalisation before the Tsunami. The fishing community, in these villages, is a very . Therefore the biggest obstacle to any kind of psychosocial intervention was the community. This accentuated the role of ethnocentricism that has been recognized as the single most powerful impediment to trauma counselling and which probably represents the vestiges of an ancient avoidance of strangers (Chemtob,1. It could either make the community withdraw into itself, or develop a bond with the outside world that has seen and experienced a similar peril. According to the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), Washington, D. C, likelihood of defensiveness will be high, based on pre- exposure conditioning, due to the need for security and social resonance. The fishing community in Cuddalore district had been closed to differences for centuries. Their ethnic identification was an irreducible entity, central to how the people in that community organized experiences. Cultures also create meaning systems that explain the causes of traumatic events (De Vries). While the threats to life associated with psychological trauma are universal, the perception and interpretation of the threats varies across cultures including: the perception of what type of threat is traumatic, the interpretation of the threat's meaning, the nature of the expression (presentation) of symptoms in response to such threats, the cultural context of the responses of traumatized people, as well as the cultural responses by others to those who have been traumatized, and the culturally prescribed paths to recovery from experiencing life- threatening events. Finally, it is also useful to consider the process by which the exposure of individuals and groups to traumatic events is made useful for the entire culture (The National Organization for Victim Assistance, 2. According to Chemtob (1. Another barrier to counseling in the aftermath of a disaster is language. Language differences and patterns among diverse cultures are common and complicated. The national languages, and even the nuances of local dialects spoken, weave into the delicacy of working with local communities, who are little exposed to the world outside. One can learn Spanish, English or Russian but not understand the synthesis of verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs and phrases that result in common understandings among those who are a part of the culture. Languages including regional dialects dictate how one forms ideas, translates sensory perceptions, and interprets the world. The phrasing, silences, speed of delivery, and pitch or tone of voice, even when using the same word or phrase, means different things to different people and form the crux of the counseling skills. Interpreters or translators contribute to the ambiance of any crisis setting. They become the interpreters not only of the survivor but also of the intervener. In some cultures it may be appropriate for them to translate with additional flair. In other cultures such interpretation may be offensive. In the counseling situation such differences alter the healing relationships (The National Organization for Victim Assistance, 2. In any case such training was not possible in the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami. In a post disaster setting the counselor, besides meeting the basic needs of the affected individuals, needs to understand the grieving process and psychological trauma, and the needs of the survivors in a culturally appropriate manner. Also counseling of disaster survivors may require to be undertaken in informal settings. A supportive conversation or a focused problem- solving session during a casual home visit could very well be a counseling session. Last, but not the least, counseling has proved a challenge in India even to contemporary Indian families (Kashyap 2. While the average Indian is ready to accept physical explanations for symptoms of psychological trauma, they are less likely to attribute psychological origins to them and therefore less amenable to formal counseling. The Approach. Lay counselors are members of the community who are trained to provide a specific service or to perform certain limited activities. The concept of lay / community counselors is not new. A large number of agencies outside of India, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom depend on the volunteer sector for counseling services (Bond, 1. Therefore the strategy adopted by ADEPT was of community based counseling using volunteer lay community counselors who share a significant aspect of their background. This model works by strengthening the existing social support networks. Lay counselors have been used in counseling of drug addicts, people living with or at risk for HIV / AIDS etc. Experiences have showed that paraprofessional counselors, who would work effectively in their home- community, can be produced with short- term training. Gluckstern (1. 97. The study evaluated the effect of the program on the trainees with regard to knowledge and attitudes, the effect of the training upon the trainees with regard to counseling skills acquisition, and the role the trainees played in the community seven months after training. The results of the study indicated that the trainees did in fact learn the skills taught and did maintain them over a period of time. Peer counselors have been found to be more effective than regular professional care (Malchodi et al., 2. ADEPT. These same counselors were especially effective as they were involved in the relief and recovery operations after the disaster. Keeping in mind the limitations of the organization and the available resources the goals of the training were simple. To train local volunteer community counselors in immediate crisis response and basics of trauma counseling. To help the community counselors to support survivors in their efforts to respond to the effects of Tsunami. To assist the counselors plan their activities in the aftermath of the Tsunami. The participants were trained in the psychological effects of disasters, and simple guidelines with sample techniques to handle them, including vignettes and an assignment to design sample action plans targeting different situations. Training methodology was short interactive lectures combined with interactive group work and participatory plenary sessions. Training duration was three days. The entire training was conducted in the vernacular using simple language and avoiding technical terms and jargon. The design of the program included the preparation of the training module, identification of the target group, planning duration of the training and its methodology and post training professional support. The module was formulated for purposes of exigency and the material adapted from several open source documents. Training commenced on 1. January 2. 00. 6. The training team included a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a trained counselor from the Arcot Lutheran Church and an aid worker, of the National Lutheran Health and Medical Board, trained in trauma counseling in aftermath of Gujarat Earthquake. The participants of the program were several members associated with the local communities, and grass root level leaders, especially those who have already been providing supportive service to the affected community prior to the Tsunami such as: Village Health Nurses and Health Inspectors. Teachers. Self Help Group members. Youth Leaders. Leaders of faith based organizations. Community leaders. Disaster Response workers. The expected outcomes of the training included basic skills of counseling such as the capacity: To understand reactions to trauma,To listen and help survivors to ventilate,To help survivors find privacy for the expression of emotions.
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