Counselors help those dealing with trauma of tragedy

The moment that Ji Chunhui, a volunteer psychologist, steps from her car at a shelter for families displaced by the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that hit Gansu province on Dec 18, she is overwhelmed by a throng of children tugging at her signature Red Cross jacket, clamoring for a hug and calling out her name.

"Yesterday she promised that she would come back, so I've been expecting her the whole morning," said 7-year-old Ma Tingting on Thursday. "She plays with us and protects us when the ground shakes."

Ji is one among the many teams of support workers that have come into the area since last week. The quake has killed at least 148 people and injured about 1,000. Three remain missing.

As well as the physical scars left by the tragedy, psychological trauma also needs to be treated, especially among young people.

Ji heads a group dispatched by the Gansu branch of the Red Cross Society China and is a full-time therapist based in the provincial capital Lanzhou.

She arrived at the village of Kexinmin near the epicenter of the earthquake on Wednesday evening and spent the following day visiting shelters accommodating two neighborhoods so as to evaluate the extent of mental trauma on the survivors.

"While tents and heat stoves have been set up and critical supplies of food and water are stable at present, we found that some villagers are experiencing deep anxiety, especially teenagers aged 12 to 18 years old," she said.

In Tingting's neighborhood, nine people were killed during the quake.

As the child skips off contently with a red balloon to join other kids, Ji, 47, begins looking for more youngsters in need of one-on-one consultations, including Tingting's older sister.

The junior high school student was at a boarding school when the quake hit. Seconds after she was woken up by classmates and dragged outside, her dormitory building collapsed behind her.

Nobody from her family died in the disaster, but the destruction has left a heavy emotional toll.

"Her mother approached me yesterday, saying that her daughter is just staying in bed all the time and sobbing," said Ji.

"The girl would not respond to me at the beginning, but gradually she began sharing with me. Today, she even got out of bed."

A nearby tent is the temporary home of Mi Yinglong, a 16-year-old boy who lost his mother when tremors crumbled their adobe house. What remains of his old home can be seen on a nearby slope.

"He also avoided conversations at the start. Today, we chatted a lot and exchanged phone numbers to keep in touch," Ji said.

"He was also concerned about his younger sister. She was away today but hopefully I can meet her tomorrow."

When giving personal consultations, Ji said she begins by asking survivors about their hobbies and dream jobs before slowly touching on their families and recollections of the quake.

At a larger shelter about a 10-minute drive away, the extent of trauma appeared to be less severe. Red Cross volunteers from Gansu and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region have set up play areas and organized activities for children.

Ji said that it will take sustained efforts to treat the mental scars left by the quake, and that a second group of psychological service volunteers from Gansu will follow.