Counsellors lend an ear to distressed kin

BHUBANESWAR: For Shradhanjali Lala, a 43 year-old trauma counsellor, it was one of the most difficult days at work when she was asked to counsel the relatives of injured and dead passengers of the triple train accident at the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office on Monday.
Showing unparalleled mental strength, Lala consoled, provided support and guidance to the relatives.
"I attended family members of 12 missing people, who were distressed. At least four of them did not find their loved ones and came here after searching for them in different hospitals. It was so difficult to control my own emotions when I was helping them by showing the photographs of the deceased, many of whom were disfigured," said Lala.
As many as 275 lives were lost in accident near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore on Friday night and injured over 1,100 people who are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.
The state government on Monday asked two voluntary organisations to provide counselling to the relatives of train accident victims at the BMC office and in AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
"Dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one is an extremely overwhelming and distressing experience. We listened to their concerns and offered them emotional support in coping with their grief. At the same time, it was very essential not to get disturbed by the interactions with the family members," she said.
"It requires a deep sense of empathy, humanity and the ability to provide effective support to people during the most challenging times of their lives. Besides, the main challenge is everyone has their own struggle and different ways of coping with grief. We have to talk to them accordingly when we provide counselling," said Sonali Das, a 27-year-old counsellor.