Examination of the experiences of psychological counselors who worked in the psychosocial team after the 6th February Kahramanmaraş earthquake

This study is a descriptive phenomenological research conducted using qualitative methods, based on the experiences of psychological counselors who voluntarily participated in psychosocial service teams following the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. The study involved seven psychological counselors aged between 28 and 50 years. Snowball sampling and criterion sampling methods were employed to select the participants. A semi- structured interview form, developed by the researchers, was used as the data collection tool. The data were analyzed using content analysis, a qualitative data analysis method. Within the scope of the study, online interviews were conducted with seven psychological counselors via the Zoom platform. The transcriptions obtained from these interviews were meticulously examined and analyzed. The findings were categorized under three main themes—"Preparation Process for Providing Psychological Support," "Experiences in Providing Psychological Support," and "Post-Support Recommendations"—with a total of 10 sub-themes. The findings of the study indicated that for psychological counselors traveling to disaster- affected areas to provide assistance, preparing for both psychological and physical conditions is a critical part of mitigating the effects of traumatic processes. Furthermore, the results revealed the necessity of refreshing knowledge and undertaking professional preparation prior to delivering effective psychological support in disaster contexts. It was also found that disasters have adverse effects on mental health professionals involved in support processes, highlighting the importance of preventive and therapeutic interventions both before and after the support process. Based on their experiences, the participants offered various recommendations for psychosocial support teams, programs, and psychological counselors involved in similar contexts. Keywords: Disaster, psychosocial support, aid workers