On March 21, a Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines crashed in Wuzhou, Guangxi Province, while on a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, there were 132 people on board, including 123 passengers and 9 crew members.
After the accident, Zhang Xichao hoped to provide psychological help to the relatives and friends of the crew, who was a professor in the Psychology Department of Beijing Normal University. At 19:25 on the 21st, under the initiative of Zhang Xichao, the relevant institutions officially launched the "MU5735 Flight Accident Psychological Help Public Welfare Hotline" to provide 24-hour free psychological consulting services.
"We want to help the families, relatives, friends and colleagues of the crew, who need professional psychological intervention and companionship." Zhang Xichao introduced that in just a dozen hours after the public welfare hotline was opened, psychological counseling has been provided for more than 30 relevant personnel, mainly those affected by the MU5735 flight accident.
Zhang Xichao, professor of psychology at Beijing Normal University. Courtesy of respondents
"I hope to be able to provide psychological help to the relatives and friends of the crew"
Beijing News: When was the psychological help public welfare hotline opened?
Zhang Xichao: On the afternoon of March 21, after I learned of the accident on Flight MU5735, I hoped to provide psychological help to the relatives and friends of the people on board as soon as possible. This incident may affect more than a hundred families, and the sooner, more systematic, and more professional the psychological intervention, the better. At 7:25 p.m. that night, the public welfare psychological counseling team Ips Consulting officially launched the "MU5735 Flight Accident Psychological Help Public Welfare Hotline", and those who need help can dial 400-619-1990. At 8 p.m., we received our first call for help. We arranged for the hotline staff to answer the phone 24 hours a day, and then matched the corresponding counselor according to the situation.
Beijing News: What was the original intention of opening this public welfare hotline?
Zhang Xichao: In the past few years, I have undertaken a national project related to emergency response, including psychological response to various natural disasters and sudden disasters. We have also done a lot of related work, part of which is to sort out the case of global crisis relief, to study how to build a psychological rescue system for the whole country, and what kind of psychological technology can help people better survive the crisis.
I am one of the first batch of registered psychological supervisors of the Chinese Psychological Association and the China Mental Health Association, I pay attention to every life that needs help, and I also hope to provide psychological help to the family, relatives, friends, colleagues and other relevant personnel of the crew to accompany them through this difficult time.
Beijing News: As of now, how many people have been served by the psychological help public welfare hotline?
Zhang Xichao: From the opening of the hotline to 5 p.m. on the 22nd, psychological counseling has been provided to 37 relevant personnel, including relatives and friends of the passengers, colleagues of the crew, and other relevant people affected by this incident. This hotline can be called 24 hours a day, and we will keep this hotline for a long time to come and help those in need.
"They need companionship and care, not interruptions"
Beijing News: What kind of help will you provide to the relatives and friends of the crew?
Zhang Xichao: At this stage, if the family members of the organic staff call for help, and the outside world maintains a good interaction with him, a better psychological comfort effect can be achieved. We have opened a psychological help hotline, hoping to provide them with psychological intervention in a timely manner through counselors.
At the organizational level, catastrophic psychological crisis intervention needs to be carried out from different perspectives. All sectors of society, including those of us who are engaged in psychological counseling, need to provide systematic psychological support to those involved. From a systematic point of view, we will divide this process into five or six stages, corresponding to different measures.
Beijing News: At the current stage, what psychological interventions are mainly taken?
Zhang Xichao: Usually, when the relatives and friends of the crew first learned of the accident news, they may be in a shock stage, and the reaction is still relatively numb, and it takes a lot of time to accept this reality. At this time, we need to do some stable work, including the stability of social relations and emotional stability. In the case of gaining their trust, we should take the initiative to accompany them, listen to their various expressions, empathize with their emotions, and let them not feel alone. They need companionship and care, not interruptions.
There is no definite news of the victims, many families are waiting and praying, we should not easily break their hopes, but should accompany them to wait and help in time.
Beijing News: Do you have any suggestions for the relatives and friends of the personnel on board?
Zhang Xichao: I hope that they can take care of themselves first, try to stabilize their emotions, and eat and sleep should also be guaranteed. I also hope that they will realize that there are many people with them, and everyone will get through this together. It is recommended that they do not stay alone, and if they feel that they cannot sustain themselves, they can call psychological counseling hotlines across the country for help. You can also find friends and family to communicate and reduce the risk of taking on the crisis yourself. In addition, some family members may have insomnia and should not use alcohol to help sleep.
Timing and implementation of psychological interventions. Courtesy of respondents
"Society should create a warm and positive atmosphere"
Beijing News: If you know the relatives and friends of the people on board, what can others do?
Zhang Xichao: As an "important other", not necessarily their immediate family, what can you do? First of all, we should calm down first, only by maintaining a good state of ourselves can we help others. It is best to provide offline companionship, but do not inquire too much about the accident, do not ask them about their plans for the future, and avoid blind optimism and blind pessimism. The best thing is companionship so that they feel someone is around and there will be a hug when needed. If you happen to be around, we can hold hands or put our arms around them and make them feel like you're there, not a burden.
In the face of great pain, it is difficult for ordinary people to provide professional psychological help, but can provide companionship and care. For example, if they are thirsty, we can help pour water; when they have a bad appetite, we can provide some tasty meals, and so on. In life, give them some care within their reach.
Beijing News: What can all sectors of society do for them?
Zhang Xichao: When facing a relatively major disaster, the society should create a warm and positive atmosphere and try our best to provide a sense of companionship. In today's society, we cannot ignore the power of information and the power of groups, the understanding and care of the public, and the role of victims and their families, although seemingly unintuitive, but their impact is real. The public should minimize criticism and complaints.
In addition, the cohesion of social forces is also crucial, and the strength of cohesion and the resilience brought about by cohesion are of far-reaching significance to help us overcome crises together. We encourage people from all walks of life to provide help to the relatives and friends of these on-board personnel within their capabilities, for example, we have opened a psychological help hotline to make them feel the warmth of society. It is hoped that all sectors of society can continue to pay attention to them and provide help and care for a long time.
Beijing News: After the accident, what other groups also need attention?
Zhang Xichao: In addition to the relatives and friends of the personnel on board, the witnesses, search and rescuers and staff at the scene of the accident should also receive attention, and they also need to carry out emotional counseling in a timely manner. Media reporters, including those who report on the accident, are also prone to psychological trauma and should be psychologically intervened when necessary.
Beijing News reporter Wu Caiqian intern Wang Xiaochen
Edited by Liu Qian
Proofreading Fu Chunyi