A very strong earthquake hit Albania on 26 November 2019, resulting in 51 deaths, 950 injuries, and 45 rescues of people stuck in the ruins. Thousands of homes were destroyed or deemed unliveable, and many schools, business, etc. were damaged. Approximately 20,000 people, half of them children, were directly affected in Durres, Tirana, Lezha and the surrounding areas.
Amongst the many basic needs of survivors, psycho-social support was immediately required. Emotional trauma resulting from such a shocking event was a main concern, as well as the stress caused by displacement. The psycho-social professionals who were present in the post-earthquake emergency housing units needed professional orientation, tools and experienced support in dealing with post-trauma psychological aid.
To respond to this need, Terre des Hommes Albania/Childhub provided a series of Albanian-language webinars called ‘The Help after Trauma’ for professionals offering post-trauma, psycho-social assistance to the affected population. The webinars were led by a well-known Albanian psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Neli Demi, who is also a mental health advisor for WHO in Tirana.
The first webinar of this series was organised on 13 December and was aimed at guiding the participants through the meaning of trauma: how those affected respond in different ways, including the professionals offering psychological help. A total of 29 professionals participated, the majority of whom were psychologists working in local or international NGOs (find the registration list here).
The second webinar took place on 19 December and covered issues related to the principles and better practices of working with people affected by trauma. It offered practical advice on what instruments, techniques or resources to use. Fifteen professionals of the same profile as the initial webinar participated in this virtual meeting (find the registration here).
The last webinar was organised on 9 January and covered issues related to ‘Interventions according to the age group - focusing mostly on children’. The focus again was on offering practical tools and techniques for working with people affected by trauma. The same number and profile of professionals attended this webinar (find the registration here)
From the feedback collected at the end of the series, it seems that the professionals found the lessons and instruments shared with them highly valuable. Nevertheless, there is a great need for further, in-depth training based on role playing and case discussion.