Helping Professionals in Double Bind after 3.11

On March 11, 2011, a most powerful earthquake on record and subsequent tsunami hit three prefectures in eastern part of Japan-Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, causing 15,883 deaths and 2,667missing (as of July 2013), and closer to 400,000 houses were either demolished or half destroyed. According to the Reconstruction Agency, as of June 2013, 298,000 survivors are still forced to live a life as evacuees. In March and December of 2012, health surveys were conducted among survivors in Miyagi prefecture using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale: K6, a psychometric developed to screen anxiety and depression. The results indicated that 9.5% to 9.6% scored between 10 to 12, 9.5% scored more than 13. Compared with the national survey results which reported those who score between 10 to 12 was only 5% while those over 13 was 3%, the survivors scored twice and thrice as high indicating they suffer from poor mental health. Among the survivors, there are people like us, helping professionals. In May 2012, multiple surveys were conducted among local officials including hospital staff, nurses, public health nurses, fire fighters, emergency medical workers and like. Those who scored between 10 to 12 varied from 5.2% to 15.1%, and those who scored over 13 were 2.6% to 14.9%. Though they themselves are survivors losing houses and people who were close to them, their workloads has been continued to be heavy due to combination of the routine work and disaster related task, they have no time to rest and/or grieve. Naturally, they suffer from chronic stress and lack of self-efficacy. They are overwhelmed and feel helpless. There are so many survivors who are at the verge of an abyss -they do not quite need professional help yet but nevertheless who are under huge amount of stress, and when another misfortune visits them, they may need mental health services. What can be done to make local helping professionals so that they can regain their confidence? Hyogo Institute for Traumatic Stress (HITS) and the Japanese Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (JSTSS) have been collaborating with counterparts in the disaster stricken area to support and empower local helping professionals. We have been providing trainings, consultations, and supervisions to maximize their capacity and their sense of competence. One of such trainings is on the Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR). The SPR is an evidence-supported protocol developed by the US National Center for PTSD and the US National Child Traumatic Stress Network. It is designed for practitioners from various background and qualifications. In this presentation, the training program, participants` feedback, and future plan will be discussed.