Counselors' assessment of psycho-social work in post-earthquake disaster zones: Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye

Abstract

Psychosocial support is an integrated social and psychological technique used during responses to disasters and crisis situations. As psychosocial support is still an emerging field, there is a strong need for comprehensive research on its practices. Psychological counselors are uniquely positioned to identify extant shortcomings in the field. The fact that psychological counselors had not been consulted during previous disasters in Turkiye serves as the impetus of this study. Data was collected through structured interviews with sixteen psychological counselors who provided psychosocial support during the aftermath of the Kahramanmara & scedil; earthquakes (February 2, 2023). The psychological counselors identified several pressing issues requiring immediate attention: conflicts between departments of different ministries, minimal support for adults and especially women, language barriers when working with migrants, subpar working conditions, and a lack of materials. They also articulated that they themselves needed to gain greater expertise and professional skills, offering recommendations to address their own and other deficiencies they witnessed during their deployment. In light of the findings, we strongly urge all organizations to clarify what duties responders are expected to perform, to foster proper working conditions, to prioritize documentation and continuity, and to provide psychological counselors with practical training.