Experience from 5th Psychological Intervention After Disaster Capacity Building Workshop

Psychological Intervention After Disaster (PIAD) Capacity Building Workshop was organized by International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS). The workshop was the fifth arrangement in its series. The focus on the Asia and Pacific region is related to two important facts: First, the four billion inhabitants of the region form 60% of the world's population and 41% of the natural disasters around the world occur in this region, frequently causing extensive damage, loss of life, and severe hardship; and Second, the majority of countries in this region often lack an advanced infrastructure or responsive rescue systems, and help is typically concentrated on addressing physical and infrastructural devastation with less attention being paid to effects on individuals and groups, especially of psychological adversity. Participants come from Asia Pacific region such as Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, New Zealand, and Philippines.

The first day was opened by President of Psychological Association of the Philippines, Director of ICSU ROAP and Dean of College of Social Science and Philosophy, University of the Philippines; then followed with two lectures from Prof. Joop de Jong on a culturally approach on mental health response after disaster, and Prof. Klaus Boehnke on doing disaster research as a longitudinal research. The second day lectures are both presented by Professor Abigail Gewirtz, first on disaster as core topics and concepts of psychological research and application, then prevention and intervention research with children and families after disasters; I also presented my poster this second day on my research about IDP issues surrounding Mt. Sinabung, Indonesia. The third day there are lectures by Prof. Yiqun Gan on meaning-making as a way to cope with disasters, followed with skype lecture by Prof. Douglas Paton on disaster recovery to disaster risk reduction. The last day was lecture by Prof. Motoaki Sugiura on characteristics found on survivors of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

I had an opportunity to collaborate further with Dr. Imelu Mordeno, a lecturer from Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, on a cross-cultural view of post-traumatic stress among Mt. Sinabung IDPs and Typhoon Haiyan IDPs. I also met Mrs. Maureen Mooney, a PhD student of Massey University, New Zealand; and made some friends with other PhD students from Philippines. It was an exhilarating experience for me to be out of my comfort zone and meet so many people from different cultural background-more importantly, understanding how it feels to be a minority.