Counseling aids trauma recovery
Chisato Hara, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Psychological trauma is generally defined as a debilitating mental and emotional, sometimes spiritual, condition that results from a sudden event. The trigger may vary from severe physical injuries to natural disasters, from a traffic accident to job loss, and personal events such as divorce or death of a loved one, depending on the underlying circumstances, experiences and personality of the affected individual.
Ethno-religious conflicts, disease and overpopulation, even the incessant traffic jams in the capital and, recently, the advent of terrorism -- modern-day Indonesia is rife with social, socio-political and socio-economic conditions that can adversely affect the mental health of individuals on a microcosmic scale, and on a macrocosmic scale, the mental health of the nation.
"Unfortunately, the need is huge. Although there are many psychologists in the medical profession, very few are practicing in the field of psychosocial recovery of trauma survivors," said Nelden Djakababa, a psychologist and research and development coordinator at Yayasan Pulih, the Center for the Prevention and Intervention of Psychological Trauma.
The non-profit organization, one of the first trauma centers established in the country, was founded by six individuals committed to mental well-being and human rights in 2002.
It is active throughout the archipelago, providing direct services to individuals, families, affected groups and communities, while also providing technical assistance in developing programs for community recovery and empowering humanitarian workers.
Most recently, it received media mention in connection with the Kuningan bombing of Sept. 9, when it coordinated with AusAID, the Aisyiyah Muhammadiyah Women's Division and the International Medical Corps (IMC) in outreach, research and psychosocial recovery programs.
The outreach part of the program involves psychologists, counselors and volunteer psychology students identifying, locating and approaching survivors for initial assessment and, if deemed necessary by a qualified clinician, follow-up contact and treatment.
"Of course, assessment and our ability to effectively provide psychosocial counsel is entirely dependent on our reception," said Nelden, as efficacy depends on the willingness of a survivor -- and their families -- to seek counseling.
"Our first bombing program was the Marriott, when we started our hotline service... It was a challenge, as we had to develop the program structure as we went along. With Kuningan, we were able to draw upon the experience and knowledge we gained from our Marriott program, and we expanded our awareness campaign through radio, such as Hard Rock FM."
The Marriott recovery program was funded by the USAID's Office of Conflict Prevention and Response, which has been a major source of aid for Pulih's activities, not least toward the printing of its self-help, educational and awareness pamphlets, and recently provided a generous contribution to recovery programs conducted by the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and Pulih for the Kuningan survivors.
While each program is designed according a particular psychosocial situation, Indonesia presents a unique and complex challenge for the field, as the parameters must address the specific social context of the affected individual or group.
Cultural diversity -- ethnic, religious and familial -- contributes greatly to how survivors cope with a traumatic event.
In Ambon, for example, Yayasan Pulih was commissioned this year by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to develop a training module on survivors of gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict areas. Targeting community-based workers, health workers at both the local and national levels, police and legal officers, the module provided instruction on approaching survivors.
A complementary video produced within the last month provided case-specific training on survivors of rape and those of abductions/disappearances.
Separately, Pulih was invited by local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide technical assistance in a program that targeted youths at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. The program was initiated by the Christian NGO, Ekkaleo, and the Muslim NGO, Lappan, which have been partners in community recovery since the outset of the conflict in 2000, and which have, at times, been forced to employ clandestine means, particularly during the height of the conflict.
The program is ongoing, and Pulih has two resident staff in Ambon carrying on recovery efforts.
In a similar capacity, Pulih has worked in Aceh with the U.S.- based NGO Save the Children, which also focused on internally displaced children, survivors of violence or human rights violations against one or both parents.
Pulih's contributions are not limited to contemporary conditions.
In Jakarta and Surakarta, Central Java, it works in close cooperation with the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) with survivors and their families, including of individuals who suffered torture or forced disappearances, from the nationwide discriminative violence that prevailed during the 1960s against members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) -- and individuals and families who were stigmatized with the PKI label in subsequent years.
Another active partner in the program is IKOHI, or Associations of Families of Missing Persons, an offshoot of the Committee for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KONTRAS), founded by the late human rights pioneer, Munir. ---------------------------------------------- i-box
Yayasan Pulih, Jl. Kemang III/8A, Jakarta Selatan 12730. Phone/Fax: (021) 7195444; e-mail: pulih@cbn.net.id.
Additional resources: Aisyiyah www.muhammadiyah.or.id/ortom/aisyiyah.php; Development Alternatives, Inc. www.dai.com; ICMC www.icmc.net; IMC www.imcworldwide.org/loc_indonesia.shtml; PMI www.ifrc.org; UNFPA www.unfpa.org
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