Post-disaster psychological assistance services

After the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, China has initially established a post-disaster psychological assistance model. Governmental departments and related organizations were actively involved in the post-disaster psychological assistance, and meanwhile, relevant professional departments were also involved in providing advices and doing policy approach research, and a brand new concept was put forward, that is, the post-disaster relief has three phases, life rescue―material aid―psychological assistance. As a domestic influential relief, poverty alleviation and development agency,

World Vision has actively taken part in promoting the post-disaster psychological assistance work as well. In cooperation with the Institute of Psychology at CAS, World Vision has actively participated in the psychological assistance work of several big disaster events, including Yingjiang, Yiliang, Qinghai, Minxian and Lushan earthquakes, and Zhouqu debris flow, and provided professional post-disaster psychological assistance services for children and adolescents through establishment of working stations, hotlines, individual or group counseling, art therapy, expert seminar and training, and research on post-disaster psychological assistance patterns, to alleviate the psychological trauma of people and children affected by the disasters, simulate their intrinsic potential, enhance their abilities to face disasters and setbacks, cultivate their positive and optimistic psychological qualities, help them understand the meaning and value of life, and so as to promote their psychological rehabilitation after disasters.