NPA/NACP Psychological Intervention Administered to Survivors of the Ita-Faaji Building Collapse, Lagos Island
Following the collapse of a two storey residential/school building at the Ita-Faaji area of Lagos Island on the 13th of March, 2019, the Lagos State Chapter of the Association on the 19th of March deemed it well within her purview of duties to the Lagos State citizens to mobilize her members especially clinical psychologists in a visit to the survivors of the traumatic event- that is both direct and indirect survivors. The team found that about 40% of these survivors visited had lost family members while 60% had severely injured survivors and had lost some family members too.
On visiting these survivors both at the hospital and their homes, the team comprising 11 members encountered people who were experiencing both physical and psychological pains. The physical pain came from the severe injuries sustained via the collapse which included head injuries; fractures to the ribs, legs, fingers and wrists, spine pierced by protruding rods among other injuries. At the first visit, the team administered grief counselling and offered to continue with grief therapy for those who required it as time went by. The injured were also counselled and the visit was well appreciated.
While the whole team was unable to return to the site of the incident, 4 members (Clinical Psychologists) of the association which included myself visited and continued with the follow-up intervention (twice or thrice weekly) up until April 9th 2019 when we decided that the survivors were relatively psychologically stable to continue with their lives at the Temporary residential camp where the Lagos State government housed them.
