Psychologists are getting children to paint in a bid to help them overcome the trauma of the floods. This is part of a special program launched recently to provide counseling and psychological treatment for victims of the floods. The program is part of a temporary agreement signed between the Residency Commission, part of the Social Work Committee of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), and the Association of the Retired. Dr. Maha Hariri, an Ilaf Center counselor, said counselors have focused on children because they do not have the ability to explain and express their emotions. This is why techniques like painting are used, she said. “After identifying the issues, counselors are encouraged to make friends with children and to provide them with coping skills appropriate for their age,” she added. Children often express their fears with bedwetting and aggressive behavior. Those who have lost parents tend to be isolated and depressed, but will get better with proper treatment, she added. Teenagers are often the most difficult patients because they are at a sensitive age, said Dr. Hariri. “I think religious and psychological courses for teenagers can motivate them to have a more positive attitude about life.” Women, who lost family members, get cognitive behavioral therapy. “The cognitive therapy counseling tries to explain to depressed people that everyone has to die. It provides people with skills to spend less time thinking about death,” said Hariri. Dr. Zahra Al-Mobie, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of the Retired and also a counselor at Ilaf Center, said they initially visited South Jeddah residents at the beginning of the disaster to provide counseling. The program was later expanded and named the “Psychological Support and Family Security Team”. Al-Mobie said their contact numbers were published on Facebook so that they could attract more volunteers who specialize in counseling and psychological treatment. “We received a huge reaction from people who wanted to volunteer, not just from Jeddah, but also from other parts of the Kingdom,” said Al-Mobie. According to Al-Mobie, their campaign consists of counselors and psychologists who provide their services for free. “Many families have asked us to help their people who have psychological problems. We first try to calm them down and then conduct an assessment to see whether they need treatment or not. We transfer the more serious cases to Ilaf Center, the Cultural Renewal Center and the Neuropsychiatry Center,” said Al
