Every time an emergency occurs, it is usually taken for granted that the State Security Forces and Bodies, health services -ambulances and doctors- and, sometimes, firefighters, must be present. However, the fact that a tragedy occurs leaves scars beyond what can be seen with the eye; Traumatic events bring with them psychological consequences, for whose treatment it is crucial to have professionals in the field.
And this is precisely one of the demands of the College of Psychology (COP) of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Its dean, Carmen Linares, tells DIARIO DE AVISOS that "the figure of the psychologist must be included in the emergency plans", to the extent that, as has been shown with the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, it is necessary to treat the emotional consequences of natural phenomena as devastating as the one that, since last September 19, hit the Isla Bonita, with an Aridan neighborhood completely engulfed by lava, Todoque, and another with serious damage, La Laguna.
Linares explains that since hot rocks began to emerge in the Cabeza de Vaca area, "we created a WhatsApp group to organize ourselves voluntarily." This is how the Group for Psychological Intervention in Emergencies and Catastrophes (GIPEC) of the COP kicked off its work in the island territory, starting at the El Paso Day Center, where Social Services personnel carry out a triage of the affected. Also at the Fairgrounds, one of the logistics centers for collecting donations of clothing and non-perishable food.
In this last enclave, the dean affirms that she has been able to observe, by also participating in the field work, how "many people have gone from giving help to having to receive it", so there are cases in which these "occur turn around” before entering the complex. “It causes them a lot of stress and a lot of shame.” In addition, they have been deployed in the Severo Rodríguez pavilion in Los Llanos de Aridane, another donation reception point, and, he adds, "we also move, because unlike the clinical psychologist, the emergency sometimes has to approach people ”.
With regard to the provision of a service focused almost exclusively on the evacuees, it details that throughout the first weeks they were present at the El Fuerte barracks, in Breña Baja, where a part of the evicted, mainly with reduced mobility, landed. . Later, they would move to the hotel in Fuencaliente, realizing that, "as the situation continues over time, it is becoming more and more difficult for people to manage it." Shortly after, the City Council of Tazacorte contacted the College, given that the demand was increasing from the population and the technicians they had were not enough.
The telephone numbers 600 756 760, 696 087 014 and 922 28 90 60 have become the lifesaver for many people who, for various reasons, do not dare to take the step of requesting face-to-face psychological help. For some it is the first contact, allowing COP staff to assess their status. Added to this is the care that collegiate psychologists are offering in the office for the management of aid to the victims located in Casa Massieu in the Argual neighborhood, in Los Llanos, by virtue of an agreement with the Ministry of Social Rights of the Government of Canary Islands. Some facilities from which Alicia Pérez coordinates the work of GIPEC.
Speaking to DIARIO, he admits that, “in general, for the situation we are experiencing, people are quite whole”, although “there have been moments of shock and disbelief, peaks of anguish and anxiety, because people are weighing everything that is happening and what you have lost; the duel is going on”. And so that this task can be completed satisfactorily, she indicates that “this lengthening is taking its toll; we all expected this to be much shorter.” "No matter how strong you are or how much optimism you have, the body can't take it," she specifies.
Pérez assures that now she has a feeling of “heaviness”, derived from “not having a date” for the volcanic event to be concluded. Experts even speak of managing a "long-term" horizon, ruling out the "medium" and "short", according to the director of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) in the Canary Islands, María José Blanco, who said last week acts as spokesperson for the Scientific Committee provided for in the Pevolca (Civil Protection and Emergency Care Plan for the Canary Islands due to Volcanic Risk) and appears daily.
On the other hand, there is "the stigma" that always surrounds psychology, and that is that there are sectors of the population that consider that this discipline is reserved only for those who suffer from an imbalance; “that we are crazy”. "They don't see us as that family doctor we go to when something hurts," he explains, while continuing to say that "we don't internalize the emotional part," among other things, for cultural reasons: "We are not in the Service Canary of Health, in the health centers”.
As a starting point, Pérez adds that they have an additional obstacle: “You have to break those stereotypes that people have about the profession; that they gain confidence with us”. Moreover, it recognizes that it is fear and widespread ignorance about psychology that causes situations to occur such as members of the same family talking to each other, and, seeing that one of its members "is wrong", “They come up to you and say: you should approach such a person. They act as guardians between them”.
REGISTERED
Through a statement, yesterday the COP of Santa Cruz de Tenerife warned about the presence of people who, without being registered, were providing support to victims who really required professional attention. And, although the organization headed by Carmen Linares has not wanted to doubt the goodwill of those who offer to lend a hand, sometimes specialized care is necessary, for which the members of the Psychological Intervention Group in Emergencies and Catastrophes. The organization asks "to be cautious about certain offers of help, which may seem laudable, but not lawful, and which could hinder people's recovery."