(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) "Children of Putian" attract attention from the psychology circle "keep them busy"
China News Service, Xianyou, September 17 (Reporter Lin Chunyin) Under the impact of the epidemic, how to protect the physical and mental health of "Putian children"?
A reporter from Chinanews.com interviewed a number of psychologists, and the experts offered advice: resume classes, draw, read, and do handicrafts to "keep them busy."
Physician Zou Yefeng, deputy director of Fujian Mental Health Center and Fuzhou Medical Psychological Counseling Center of Fujian Province, worked as a psychologist to assist Yichang, Hubei in the fight against the epidemic.
He said that students are the weakest link, which is worrying. The top priority is to help children maintain order and parents to maintain emotional stability.
The Affiliated Hospital of Putian College of New Crown Hospital has opened a psychological hotline.
Photo by Ke Lifan
"The original order was disrupted, and a lot of uncertainty and uneasiness came." Zou Yefeng encouraged parents, "More accompany, if it is possible to enter the isolation ward, it is better to accompany you, or more online video communication, so that children have More opportunities to get in touch with familiar environments and people, what the children used to do, and what they still want to do now, children facing familiar environmental characters will help them stabilize as soon as possible."
Zou Yefeng said that despite fighting the epidemic for two years, the epidemic may never have been around so real. The psychological balance established in everyone's heart has been broken, and everyone may have a stress response.
"The emotional performance of family members, whether or not they are isolated, may be passed on to the children." He encouraged parents to be aware of and accept their emotions in order to accompany their children to stabilize faster.
"Tell the children at the appropriate time that adults will also feel uneasy and a little scared, and the children will know that they are not alone in the anxiety and fear, but they will be more at ease."
A small patient plays with toys in the Affiliated Hospital of Putian College, a designated hospital.
Photo by Yan Junteng
"Tell him again that the whole society is helping us fight the epidemic, and the country has the ability to let children know that the epidemic is controllable, but the process is a bit difficult. This will also help increase the child's sense of control." Zou Yefeng said.
Zhang Rongwei, a PhD in psychology from Fujian Administration College, also stated that it is not advisable for minors, especially young children, to be isolated in a single room because "closed isolation can easily lead to psychological problems."
He emphasized that all walks of life need to try to reduce children's panic and maintain their sense of security. This includes families providing emotional support and material security, hospitals popularizing medical knowledge, and psychologists providing adjustment techniques to reduce anxiety and fear.
Zhang Rongwei said that the school needs to maintain the social connection of the children. The head teacher uses the online class to listen to the negative emotions of the children.
Zhang Rongwei said that when the epidemic strikes, when unexpected events may occur at any time, how to cherish life and live every day will inspire people to think deeply. This can also be a good opportunity for life education.
At present, 22 psychological counselors, psychotherapists and psychiatrists have assembled in Putian City and Xianyou to provide resident services for the masses and front-line personnel in the centralized isolation point.
The Affiliated Hospital of Putian College, a designated hospital that admitted most of the confirmed patients, created a warm and cartoon-like ward for children, opened a psychological hotline for admitted patients, and carried out activities such as picture book sharing, drawing, and online psychological escort.
Ke Lifan, a medical social worker at the Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, Fujian, told reporters that the hospital has set up a Psychological Team for Relief Assistance, with a psychological counselor instructing frontline nurses to take care of the children.
"The psychological escort confusion faced by nurses is solved by psychological counselors as a solid backing."
Five psychological counselors, including Chen Sumin, the national second-level psychological counselor, have taken on the public welfare psychological counseling hotline for sister Jasmine of the Fuzhou Women’s Federation to jointly protect the mental health of children in the epidemic area.
The young patient played rock, paper, scissors and paper with medical staff in the Affiliated Hospital of Putian University.
Photo by Yan Junteng
Chen Sumin said that fear and panic will be the children's instinctive reaction. Whether it is medical staff or family members who accompany through the screen, listen more to the child's thoughts, accompany the child to speak, and make him happy.
Chen Sumin encouraged the children to take advantage of the quiet environment during the isolation period to do what they wanted to do but failed to do.
"Talk to him more, accept his emotions, don't feel annoying, arrange tasks that can be done within your capacity every day, and keep him busy." (End)