To address the psychological impact of trauma among the landslide survivors, an intervention program was planned and accordingly, group sessions were conducted, by visiting Chooralmala and Meppadi, Wayanad .From Dept of Clinical Psychology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, Ms. Akhila S Kumar, Assistant Professor, mentored 3 MPhil students, fostering hands-on learning and community engagement.
The community intervention program mainly focused on survivors who are enrolled in the tailoring and computing centers, at Meppadi and Chooralmala, which are part of Amrita sustainable livelihood and disaster resilience program, Wayanad. There were 6 group sessions at Meppadi and 4 at Chooralmala. Participants primarily consisted of women aged between 20-70 years. Throughout the program, the team focused on addressing the participants’ongoing stress and anxiety, psychoeducating them about mental health issues, seeking help and reducing stigma, rebuilding resilience and confidence, emotion regulation, grief, trauma, post-traumatic growth, and strategies for focusing on a positive future. Exercises in relaxation techniques, sitting meditation, and grounding methods were integral parts of the sessions.
After the group sessions, Ms Akhila participated in symposium and presented a paper on Amrita‘s disaster intervention program in National Conference on Innovations in Interventions for the Indigenous Population jointly organized by Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) Tribal Mental Health Project, Department of Psychosocial support in Disaster Management, NIMHANS, Bengaluru & Don Bosco College, Sulthan Bathery on 10 January 2025.
