A total of 5,104 families will be counseled starting this week for psychological trauma suffered as a result of the recent floods in Jeddah. The affected people, many of whom have lost family members, are being treated by 35 psychologists from the Al-Shaqaeq female center. The center provides free advisory services. It also has a rehabilitation program for divorced women. “Our psychological support program is a national duty toward society. The center contributes toward alleviating the suffering of those affected by the floods through our psycho-social support program,” said Fatima Khayat, director of the Al-Shaqaeq center. “Families who have faced the loss of some of their members need to have psychological help to overcome this difficult situation. One of the main things that our team is focusing on is the mental and psychological health of children,” said Khayat. One of the young people being counseled is Rawda Al-Jihani, 16, who lost her mother and her two sisters, aged four and eight. Al-Jihana saw them being swept away in the floodwaters. “My daughter stopped eating and she is always sitting alone and crying. Losing the people you love in front of your eyes is the most difficult thing anyone can ever face,” said Monawar Al-Jihani, Rawda's father. “I think it's better to treat her psychologically now instead of having her suffer like this,” said her father. According to Azza Abubakur, a sociologist from King Abdulaziz University, early psychological intervention is more effective before adverse psychological symptoms have developed fully. Psychological trauma can last long after physical injuries have healed, said Abubakur.
