The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) yesterday said it is offering three free psychological counseling sessions to anyone who has been mentally affected by the random stabbing in Taipei on Friday evening.
Department of Mental Health Director-General Chen Po-hsi (陳柏熹) said the Taipei City Community Mental Health Center has stepped in to provide mental health support to the victims and their family members.
The ministry has also expanded its psychological counseling resources to help people who were affected by the incident, he said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
Just like the ministry’s “youth mental health support program,” three free counseling sessions would be offered to anyone who has been mentally affected by the incident, irrespective of their age, Chen said.
A “leniency principle” would be adopted for recognizing eligible recipients: As long as the person is able to subjectively state how they were mentally affected by the incident, they would be eligible for the service and would not need to go through other identity or qualification reviews, he said.
The free counseling program is to run until the end of next year, to ensure affected people do not miss their chance to ask for help, he added.
The funding for the service has been discussed with the local government and the budget has been secured, so mental health support measures can continue, Chen said.
The ministry said it is normal for people who have gone through sudden and violent ordeals to feel nervous or anxious, or repeatedly replay the incident in their mind.
It suggested a simple “five character formula” that could help people stabilize their emotions: secure, calm, self-efficacy, contact and hope (安, 靜, 能, 繫, 望).
People should find an environment that makes them feel “secure” and make good use of the ministry’s support resources, it said.
They could “calm” their emotions by taking deep breaths, doing stretches and avoiding images or information about the incident, it added.
People should maintain their daily routine and life, and regain self-confidence and “self-efficacy” by completing planned and controllable small tasks, and stay in “contact” with friends and family, such as by listening to each other, sharing their feelings and helping each other relieve stress, the ministry said.
To bring a sense of “hope,” they should approach warm and caring massages, remain flexible in the face of change, set achievable short-term goals and have an optimistic outlook, it said.
In related news, Taoyuan Psychiatric Center deputy-superintendent and psychiatrist Lee Chun-hung (李俊宏) on Facebook wrote that oversimplified attribution of a perpetrator’s motives should not be made before the facts are clarified.
The focus should be on reducing harm and subsequent risks, which includes not excessively revealing the perpetrator’s information to reduce the chances of a copycat crime, he said.
The priority should be offering integrated healthcare, mental and social support for the victims and their families, and reducing the risks of mental trauma or secondary trauma in witnesses and frontline workers.
Equally important is enhanced public safety, which not only includes increased security patrols, but also better self-safety awareness and capability to protect oneself, as well as reducing the risk of copycat crimes, he said.
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