Counsellors To Help Traumatised Tsunami Victims

Ministry To Pool Counsellors To Help Traumatised Tsunami Victims

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 (BERNAMA) -- Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has appealed to counsellors and psychologists in the country to come forward and help the ministry assist traumatised tsunami victims to deal with their grief.

She said the victims, especially those who had lost family members, were in great need of counselling to help them continue with their lives after the Dec 26 tragedy.

"What are we going to do is we'll assemble counsellors who are willing to volunteer their services and I'll talk with (Health Minister) Datuk Dr Chua (Soi Lek), so that we have a pool of counsellors we can mobilise to help them," she told reporters after being briefed by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) on their activities in the tsunami-stricken areas in the country and Acheh, Indonesia.

Shahrizat, who is also MRCS vice-president, said there were now only 153 counsellors registered with the ministry as provided under the Counsellors Act 1998.

She said that although the government and other parties had provided necessities like clothes, food and medicine, the victims were now dealing with the trauma and only trained professionals could help them in this.


Counselling For Students Affected By The Tidal Waves

SUNGAI PETANI, Jan 3 (BERNAMA) -- The Education Ministry will provide counselling to students traumatised by the tidal waves or tsunami which struck several west coast states of Peninsular Malaysia last Sunday, said its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said existing counselling teachers in the affected schools would provide such counselling while external counsellors would be brought in if there was such a need.

The ministry was aware that many students were traumatised following the loss of family members and property brought about by the tsunami, he said at a press conference after being briefed on the catastrophe in the Kuala Muda district at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kota Kuala Muda, here Monday.

Out of the 2,086 students affected by the tsunami, 498 were secondary school students an 1,044 primary school students in Kedah, while 123 were secondary school and 421 primary school students in Penang.

Hishammuddin said he would monitor the problem daily through reports by teachers in the affected schools with regard to the students' psychological condition.

It looks like the gomen is really serious about providing counselling for those traumatised mentally by the tsunamis. First it was the MINIstry of Health setting up a psychiatric team to provide counselling for the tsunami survivors. Now it is reported that the Women, Family and Community Development MINIstry will coordinate with the MOH to pool resources. There are said to be only 153 counsellors registered with the ministry. The Education MINIstry, not wanting to be left out, will also will provide counselling to students traumatised by the 26/12 tsunamis. Education MINIster, DS Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, expected counselling teachers in school to do the counselling with outside help if needed. Really are these school counsellors trained for this. Would it be more helpful to approach the Malaysian Mental Health Association and the Malaysian Psychiatric Association. Members of these two associations are probably better equipped to provide psychological and psychiatric help for the tsunami survivors. Instead of having too many MINIstries and MINIsters involved, a state of having too many cooks spoiling the broth, the MINIster and the MOH should be the one involved to mobilise and organised all the available human resources with the help and involvement of the 2 associations and their members.
Or could it be a case of one too many MINIster trying to be in the spotlight of the local media. Tsunami trauma is obviously going to be problem for the survivors especially the children and there should be a coordinated effort to reduce their sufferings, we certainly don't need the MINIsters to be involved in a game of 'wun'upmun`ship.
Here is some advice on how to deal with children suffering mental trauma as a result of the tsunamis from a child psychologist, Robin Goodman. Check this article to see what mental trauma may plague tsunami victims. The victims may experience the following :: insomnia, anxiety, nightmares, depression, grief, helplessness and hopelessness, post-traumatic stress and distressing mental images.