UNDP helps reduce the earthquake’s impact on mental health in Türkiye

April 13, 2023

UNDP cooperates with Turkish Psychologists Association to heal post-earthquake traumas

One of the urgent issues after the hard-hitting earthquakes in Türkiye is improving the psychosocial well-being of the affected populations and helping them recover from the devastating effects of social traumas. To contribute to these efforts, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) started working with the Turkish Psychologists Association to take a series of urgent measures.

Within UNDP’s “Young Women Building Their Future” project, trauma therapy and psychosocial support is provided to those in need. The aim is to reach people who are primarily affected, those who work directly with earthquake victims or work in the field or have experienced trauma in or outside the region. Adana and Diyarbakır, which were affected by the earthquake and Izmir, which received heavy migration after the disaster are among the pilot provinces of the project.

As a first step, a trauma information webinar was held on 28 March 2023 with the Izmir Branch of the Turkish Psychologists Association, one of the most experienced trauma response working groups in Türkiye.

A total of 88 people working in social services from public institutions, local administrations, municipalities and NGOs as well as volunteers from all around the country participated in the event. Zehra Gem and Nilay Konduz Kutbay, clinical psychologists from the Izmir branch of the Association, informed participants on how to develop a trauma-informed approach to the provision of social services and how to keep their own well-being while providing social services on traumas. 

In the coming days, a series of face-to-face meetings will be organized in Izmir, Adana and Diyarbakir by the expert teams of the Izmir Branch of the Association. In these meetings, informative group works on trauma will be conducted with women aged 18-29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), who are resident in these cities and are directly affected by the earthquake. In addition, a smaller group of NEET women who participate in these group works, experienced more severe trauma and wish to receive advanced trauma support will be supported with face-to-face in-depth experience sharing group works. These efforts will start on 17 April and continue until the end of May. 

“Young Women Building Their Future” project is implemented by UNDP and Sabancı Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to address the challenges faced by young NEET women.

Turkish Psychologists Association is one of the leading professional organizations in its field with country-wide experience, providing psychosocial support in times of great social trauma such as natural disasters, major accidents, and terrorist attacks since the August 1999 Marmara earthquake.

To watch the trauma information webinar: https://youtu.be/Qt76LS8Gu_M