Around 2,000 children and adult quake victims from the different towns of Bohol poured out their feelings and fears during the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing  (CISD) sessions conducted by the 27 Claretian Pastoral Care: Lakbay Kalinga volunteers led by Father Arnold M. Abelardo, CMF.

Father Abelardo remarked, “When people work together to share love and compassion, miracles of healing do happen.”

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said the sessions are part of efforts to instill some normalcy to the lives of displaced families.

The group, which is under the Orthopedic Center Parish Pastoral Care Services, has been conducting psycho-social work in disaster areas partnering with government through the DSWD.  The group was formed after Typhoon Sendong hit Northern Mindanao in 2011.

Father Abelardo, a Claretian missionary and chaplain of the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital, is a veteran in conducting spiritual counseling.

Joseph L. Dasmariñas,  team leader of the group said, “The sessions enable survivors to understand that they are not alone in their difficulties brought about by the  earthquake and serve as a venue to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a controlled and safe environment. Through the sessions, we hope to ease their tension, anger and other negative emotions brought by the earthquake.”

“We prioritized the towns of Sagbayan, Tubigon, Loon, Buenavista, Loay, and Maribojoc because these were identified by the DSWD as among the hardest hit towns which resulted in high number of displaced families,” Dasmariñas added.

“Although they worry about their wrecked homes, most of them remain positive despite their current condition believing that they will again return to their normal lives,” he continued.

 Kia del Rosario, another team leader shared that the adult participants underwent counseling while the children were provided with play therapy and draw-and-tell sessions.

Secretary Soliman thanked the group of Father Abelardo for  complementing the efforts of the DSWD and local government units in providing healing sessions for the quake victims. ###