Medecins Sans Frontieres: mental health in post-tsunami Ache Province, a field report

Abstract

This article describes a mental health program in Ache Province, a conflict area in Indonesia. The intervention aimed to normalize community life, through activities such as construction of a volleyball field and the organization of a tournament, as well as organizing talking groups to reinforce solidarity and mutual support. On an individual level, offering counselling services supported normalization. The beneficiaries appreciated the communities based group activities the most. As for individual psychological support, counselling proved to be an unknown approach for the majority of the population, and therefore did not always meet their expectations of a fast, practical resolution of their problems.