BUKAL conducts training on trauma counseling

Balikatan, Ugnayan, Kaagapay, at Lingap (BUKAL) Life Care and Counseling Center conducted a three-day disaster response training in light of the havoc caused by typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro on Dec 16 2011.

“If you would come and see our counseling motto, we have this ‘Spiritually aware, clinically competent’ so we respect the spirituality of the person and we help them out cope with their crisis through their spirituality. But we don’t neglect the psychological discipline. So it is a combination of theology and psychology together,” Rev Joel Aguirre, Executive Director of BUKAL, explained.

BUKAL, which means spring, a source of fresh water, follows a certain method of stress debriefing from the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). There are three points that the trainees follow: (1) SS - Safety and Security is building rapport and explaining to the victims the agenda of the session; (2) VV - Validation and Ventilation is acknowledging that the victims were traumatized and allowing them to vent out their feeling; (3) PP - Preparation and Prediction is allowing them to find their own strength, and building certain decision making how they can cope with their crisis.

“The conclusion part we try to educate them (victims) and encourage them to keep on hoping. They have to build their hope so they may be able to keep on with their life and cope with their crisis,” Reverend Aguirre continues.

From Oro Christian Grace School, venue of the training, the trainees, ‘spiritual paramedics,’ will be sent to evacuation centers on the last day for their internship.

“Importante jud diay kaayo nga naa gyuy kanang maistoryahan ang isa ka biktima. Dapat gyud sensitibo ka, dapat masabtan nimo sila bisan unsa pa ilang e-express,” Ps Rosemarie Eduave International Disaster Response Network (IDRN) volunteer, shares her lessons in the training.

Typhoon Sendong, that claimed a thousand of lives in Northern Mindanao, especially in Cagayan de Oro, changed the plan of the team of Reverend Aguirre who came here originally for another seminar.

“What had happened like we come here for that another matter, but the disaster happened so it all changed so as much as we have a training in disaster response we want to be relevant,” Reverend Aguirre recalls.

BUKAL Life Ministries, a non-denominational Christian Ministry based in Baguio City, was officially formed in November 2009 in response to the damage of typhoon Pepeng (International Name: Parma) to Benguet Province.