School fire: Experts give tips on coping with trauma
Forensic police officers are seen in front of a burnt dormitory at Salama school for the blind in Luga, Uganda, on October 25, 2022. Eleven people, mostly children, have perished in a blaze that tore through a dormitory at a school for the blind in Uganda in the early hours of October 25, 2022 as pupils were sleeping. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
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The president of Uganda Counselling Association, Ms Elizabeth Okello, said the children were emotionally disturbed and had their general wellbeing affected.
Experts have suggested ways of coping with traumatic stress for survivors of a fire that killed 11 children at Salama School for the Blind in Mukono District on Monday.
Dr Ali Male, a counsellor at A-Z Professional Counselling Support Centre, yesterday said the affected children need a lot of progressive relaxation of all their body parts as well as intense counselling to overcome fear and panic to prevent post-stress disorder.
“Children must be convinced that life is full of challenges and that they should remain positive. They should be helped to manage stress by taking a lot of water and keeping them away from the environment where the incident happened for some time,” he said.
Dr Male suggested that the school breaks off for some days to allow learners ample time to relax and recover.
“Parents too need to give them attention and basic needs to help them recover. They require some time to recover from shock, anger and confusion. Acceptance should be a solution though it’s not easy for them to get into acceptance that death happened and loss was accomplished,” he said.
The school management is also advised to engage the children in their colleagues’ burial arrangements to enable them complete the stages of grief.
To quench the parents’ anger, the school management is advised to listen to them.
Other experts suggest school administrators and staff too must be counselled since they are going through trauma, including individual anger outbursts, guilt, anxiety attacks, low moods, isolation, and harbouring suicidal thoughts.
Dr Richard Balikoowa, a psychology lecturer at Makerere University, said healing from the tragedy will be gradual.
“It is a psychological culture for anyone to feel emotional. The advice to recover from trauma cuts across. However, children are the most vulnerable sometimes because such occurrences create long term traumatic wounds that can change their personality. It can also trigger traumatic nightmares,” Dr Balikoowa said.
The president of Uganda Counselling Association, Ms Elizabeth Okello, said the children were emotionally disturbed and had their general wellbeing affected.
“This is not a journey that one can walk alone, each of the affected need support. Support can be given by professionals as well as the family or community,” she said.
Ms Janat kantalama, a psychologist from Safe Places Uganda, an NGO dealing with trauma and mental health related problems, said survivors should be counselled into regaining their sense of safety, hope, and belonging.
