FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8Children’s Mental Care Community Base
Project
Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
Stem Center – Planning and Research Department
Manager, Psychiatric Social Worker Yuichi Watanabe
Chief, Psychiatric Social Worker Tetsuro Higuchi
Introduction
In Miyagi Prefecture, we have set “continuous support, from children to adults” as the basic policyof the reconstruction plan for post-earthquake disaster mental health care. The Miyagi Disaster Mental
Health Care Center (henceforth, the “Center”) has been contracted for children’s mental health care work
since April 2016 until the present day. The contracted duties include “consultation projects,” “professional dispatch projects,” “training projects,” “dissemination/public awareness projects,” and “research
projects,” for a total of five projects.
We summarize the FY2019 Children’s Mental Care Community Base Project (henceforth, “BaseProject”) below, according to the contractual specifications, and this is a reprint of consultations withpersons under the age of 20 years from our Center’s statistical documents.
1. Contract project content and performance(1) Consultation projects
The Center provides consultation on children’s mental health care through educational institutions
and nursery schools such as municipalities, elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools.
In many cases, consultations are triggered by correspondence arising from infant health examinations
and consultation desks in municipalities where professionals are dispatched.
A cumulative total number of consulted-on cases in FY 2019 was 373. This was an increase from thetotal number of consulted-on cases in FY2018, which was 330, although the actual number slightly
decreased from 138 in FY2018. The number of cases by age and counselee is shown in Table 1, and thenumber of cases by age and residence is shown in Table 2.
By age, we can see that the number of consultations for those under 6 years decreased from 83 in
FY2018, while the number of consultations for those between the ages of 7 and 15 years greatly increased from 116 in FY2018. In particular, the number of cases in Ishinomaki and Kesennuma increased
considerably. The number of consultations for those under 6 years and those in the 7–15 and 16–19 age
groups all increased relative to FY2018. The total number of cases at the Stem Center has halved since
FY2018.
Table 1. Number of cases by age and counselee(total number of cases, 373; actual number, 134)

Total number(by counselee)
Actual number

Individual
FamilyOther
Total

Under 6 years
2
67
2
71
65

- 32 -

7-15 years
109
52
2
163
37

16-19 years
122
17
0
139
32

Total
233
136
4
373
134

Children’s Mental Care Community Base Project
Table 2. Total number of cases by age and residence

Total number(by residence)

Residence
Sendai
Shiogama
Natori
TagajoStem Center
IwanumaTomiyaWatari
Yamamoto
Matsushima
Other than above
Ishinomaki
Ishinomaki
Regional Cen- Higashimatsushimater
Onagawa
Kesennuma
Kesennuma
Regional Cen- Tometer
Minamisanriku
Anonymous
Total

Under 6 years
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
28
9
1
4
0
1
26
71

7-15 years
5
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
32
9
0
114
0
1
0
163

16-19 years
0
1
1
0
1
0
4
1
0
0
9
6
2
103
0
7
0
135

Total
6
2
3
0
1
0
4
1
0
0
69
24
3
221
0
9
26
369

※Of the 373 total cases, four listed Ichinoseki as the residence, so these are excluded from the total count in Table 2.

(2) Professional dispatch projects
Professionals such as child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and public health nurses were dispatched
to municipal health centers, nursery schools, and elementary/junior high schools, and consultations and training were conducted for staff. Dispatches were made to a total of 229 institutions in FY2019, but this represented a decrease from 309 institutions in FY2019. The number of dispatches by dispatch destination andoccupation is shown in Table 3, and the number of dispatches by dispatch destination and municipality isshown in Table 4.
Cities and towns were the most common dispatch destination, with 169 cases, 110 of which were publichealth nurses, but this represents a decrease from 127 in FY2018. Public health nurses were the most dispatched occupation, followed by clinical psychologists and doctors, but the number of dispatches for all threeoccupations has decreased. The number of dispatches to nursery schools and kindergartens has not changed
since FY2018, but dispatches to elementary schools and junior high schools has decreased from 31 and 12,
respectively, in FY2018 to 13 and 3, respectively, in FY2019.
The municipal destination with the most dispatches was Ishinomaki (90 cases), followed by Watari(41 cases) and Natori (34 cases), but this has decreased by 10–30 cases since FY2018.
Table 3. Number of dispatches by dispatch destination and occupation
Dispatch
destination

Occupation
DoctorClinical psychologist
Psychiatric social worker
Public health nurse
Other
Total

Prefecture

Municipality

Nursery school/ kindergarten

Elementary
schoolJunior highschool

Other

Total

3
0
2
0
0
5

7
30
20
110
2
169

1
6
0
0
8
15

11
0
1
1
0
13

2
0
1
0
0
3

3
7
2
12
0
24

27
43
26
123
10
229

- 33 -

FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
Table 4. Number of dispatches by dispatch destination and municipality
Dispatch destination
Municipality
Stem
CenterIshinomaki
Regional
CenterKesennuma
Regional
CenterPrefecture

Sendai
Shiogama
Natori
TagajoIwanumaWatari
Yamamoto
Matsushima
Ishinomaki
Higashimatsushima
Onagawa
Kesennuma
TomeMinamisanriku
Total

Nurseryschool /kindergarten
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
6
1
0
0
0
0
15

Municipality
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
1
5

1
0
26
2
12
41
9
2
67
4
0
1
4
0
169

Elementary
schoolJuniorhighschool

4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
8
0
0
13

Other
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3

Total

7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
16
0
0
1
0
0
24

14
0
34
2
12
41
9
2
90
7
0
13
4
1
229

(3) Training projects
In FY2019, we sponsored and dispatched lecturers to 47 workshops. Table 5 shows the implementation status by workshop lecturer’s occupation and municipality, and Table 6 shows an implementation
overview of the training projects.
Workshops sponsored by the Center include “Valuing the various personalities of children — Understanding and responding to highly sensitive children (HSC)” (268 participants) and “What is attachment disorder? How to support children with an attachment disorder and their parents” (92 participants),
which was hosted in Ishinomaki, as well as the Kesennuma Omose Junior High School health lecture
titled “Important feelings, important self,” which was hosted in Kesennuma (62 participants).
“Psychological first aid (PFA) training for children” (henceforth, “PFA training”), which demonstrated basic methods for post-disaster psychological support, was hosted eight times in four locationsin the prefecture (Sendai, Kesennuma, Higashimatsushima, and Osaki). We provided training for childcare workers in October and lectures for parents in February in Marumori, which was severely damagedby the Eastern Japan typhoon (No. 19) in 2019.
Table 5. Number of implemented training projects
Lecturer’s
occupation
Venue
Stem Center

Ishinomaki
Regional
CenterKesennuma
Regional
CenterSendai
Shiogama
Natori
TagajoIwanuma
Kurihara
Osaki
Marumori
Yamamoto
MisatoIshinomaki
Higashimatsushima
Onagawa
Kesennuma
TomeMinamisanriku
Total

Clinical
psychologist

PsychiatricSocialWorkerPublichealth nurse

15
0
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
3
4

3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

0
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

18
0
8
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
3
5

0
1
0
0

0
1
0
0

0
2
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
4
0
0

33

4

2

1

7

47

Doctor*”Other” includes clinical development psychologists and university faculty members.

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Other

Total

Children’s Mental Care Community Base Project
Table 6. Overview of implemented training projects
No.

Implementation dateHostcity/town

Content

Primary participants

Number ofparticipants

Lecturer’s occupation

1

April 2,2019
April 9,2019
April 23,
2019

SendaiPrivate organization
Private organization
Private organization

1

Clinical psychologist
Clinical psychologist
Clinical psychologist

4

April 23,2019

Natori

Understanding and handlingchildren under social care
Role of the child guidance center
Characteristics of children under social care, role of the childguidance center
Stress and how to cope

27

University faculty
member5

May 14,2019

Sendai3

Doctor6

June 1,
2019

Natori

Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children]
booster training
Fun parenting tips

Natorigaoka
Nursery
SchoolPrivate organization, etc.

15

Clinical development psychologist

7

June 5,2019

NatoriStress and how to cope

18

University faculty
member8

June 8,2019

NatoriFun parenting tips

30

Clinical development psychologist

9June 14,2019

Sendai15

Doctor10

June 27,2019

Natori

Educators

150

Doctor11

July 8,2019

Sendai

Educators

200

Doctor12

July 29,
2019
July 30,
2019

Osaki

Osaki faculty
and staff
Educators, etc.

100

Doctor27

DoctorAugust 2,
2019
August 9,
2019
August 16,
2019

MisatoEducators

100

Doctor

Educators

20

Doctor

Educators, etc.

17

Doctor17

August 19,
2019

Sendai

General prefectural citizens, etc.

100

Doctor18

August 22,
2019
September
6, 2019
September
12, 2019

Kurihara

Advanced training for supporters involved in children’s support
Psychological support for parents and the practice of educational consultations
What can be done in the fieldof education to support children’s growth
Understanding children with
developmental disabilities
Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children] 1-day
training
Living environment and raising children
Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children]
Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children] 1-day
training
Coordinator of the Developmental Disability Support
Seminar in Miyagi Part 1 Symposium “Continuous support— living, from children to
working members of society "Responding to children with
anxietyChildren’s PTSD assessment
training
Collaboration for abuse support

MasudaNursery
School parents
MasudaNursery
SchoolNatorigaoka
Nursery
School parents
Educators, etc.

Educators

50

DoctorMedical personnel, etc.
Higashimatsushima Area
Council for
Measures for

65

Doctor28

Doctor

2
3

13

14
15
16

19
20

SendaiSendaiSendaiSendai
Kesennuma

Sendai
Higashimatsushima- 35 -

1
1

FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8

21

September
18, 2019
September
28, 2019

Yamamoto

23

October 2,
2019Kesennuma

Delivered a lecture on mental
health for high school students

24

October 4,
2019

Ishinomaki

25

October 8,
2019

Sendai26

October23, 2019

Marumori

Valuing children’s personalities — understanding and responding to highly sensitive
children (HSC)
School support through mental
health care support team dispatches
Psychological first aid for children

27

October25, 2019

Osaki

28

October29, 2019
October29, 2019

Sendai30

November13, 2019

Natori

Responding to children’s anger

31

November
14, 2019

Kesennuma

Important feelings, important
self

32

November
14, 2019

Ishinomaki

33

November
14, 2019
November15, 2019

Higashimatsushima
Higashimatsushima

35

November26, 2019

Ishinomaki

Mental health support activities for children in affected areas
Understanding children withmental problems
Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children] 1-day
training
Raising children who have experienced a major disaster

36

December15, 2019

Kesennuma

37

December16, 2019

38

December20, 2019

22

29

34

10

Doctor27

University faculty
member370

Psychiatric social
worker268

Doctor

Educators

200

Doctor

Himawari
Nursery
SchoolPrivate organization, etc.

45

Doctor11

DoctorAshinaga
Ikueikai
Higashimatsushima Area
Council for
Measures forChildren Requiring Protection
MasudaNursery
School2nd-year
Omose JuniorHigh School
students
Educators, etc.

13

Doctor19

Public health nurse

17

University faculty
member62

Psychiatric social
worker92

DoctorExtracurricularchildren’s club
Government
officials, etc.

40

Doctor16

Doctor

Educators

40

DoctorBreathing techniques using a
blow-up pipe

Ishiko Children’s Association

27

Clinical psychologist

SendaiChildren’s
post-earthquake
disaster mental problems

Miyagi Prefectural Assembly
members

20

DoctorTagajoPracticing Finnish “neuvola”
and its connection with support

Government
officials, etc.

24

DoctorNatori

Higashimatsushima

Raising children that are supported by local connections
Psychological education training

Children Requiring Protection
Government
officials, etc.
Ainomori Megumi Nursery
SchoolAll ToryoHigh School
students
Child welfare
personnel, etc.

Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children] 1-day
training
Delivered a lecture on psychological first aid for children
What is support when handlingabuse? Considering the importance of attentive listening- 36 -

Children’s Mental Care Community Base Project39

December21, 2019

Sendai40

December23, 2019

Sendai41

January 26,
2020

Iwanuma42

January 26,
2020

Higashimatsushima

Michinoku Children’s Cohort
Care Campaign 202043

February 1,
2020
February 2,
2020

Marumori

45

February11, 2020

Sendai46

February
14, 2020

Sendai47

February
26, 2020

NatoriChildren’s mental health careand self-care during a disaster
Creating a child-rearing environment that is friendly to everyone — insights from a medical perspective
Community
development
symposium for supportingchildren’s growth – insightsfrom the Michinoku Children’s Cohort
Advanced training for supporters involved in children’s support
On organization building

44

Psychological first aid for children [PFA for children] 1-day
training
What the children of today
need — what can be done eight
years after the earthquake disaster
Michinoku Children’s Cohort
Care Campaign 2020

Sendai

Educators, etc.

28

DoctorSendai School
counselors

81

DoctorParents ofchildren in
IwanumaParents ofchildren in Higashimatsushima
Ouchi Nursery
School parents
General prefectural citizens, etc.

6

Doctor7

Doctor16

Doctor150

DoctorThose involved in children’s support,
etc.

62

Doctor

Educators, etc.

23

DoctorNatorigaoka
Nursery
School30

University faculty
member(4) Dissemination/public awareness projects
In FY2019, we created self-care posters for children and distributed them to 416 elementary and juniorhigh schools in the prefecture.
We reprinted clear files created in FY2018 and distributed them to training participants, as shown in Table 7.
Table 7. Implementation overview of dissemination/public awareness projects
No.

Implementationdate

1

May 14, 2019

Sendai2

May 21, 2019

Kesennuma

3June 14, 2019

Sendai4

June 27, 2019

NatoriClear files for raising public awareness distributed toparticipants of the Miyagi Prefecture special needs education new personnel training

150

5

July 9, 2019

Kesennuma

6

6July 30, 2019

Sendai

Staff dispatched to the Kesennuma-hosted “Consultation
on children’s language” [Group]
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the psychological first aid for children[PFA for children] 1-day training (Sendai)

Host city/town

Content
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the psychological first aid for children [PFA
for children] booster training
Staff dispatched to the Kesennuma-hosted “Consultation
on children’s language” [Group]
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of advanced training for supporters involved inchildren’s support- 37 -

Number distributed
3

6
15

27

FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8
7August 16, 2019

Kesennuma

8

Kesennuma

9

September 10,
2019
October 25, 201910

October 29, 2019

Sendai11

November 13,
2019
November 14,
2019

Kesennuma

13

November 15,
2019

Higashimatsushima

14

November 28,
2019

Kesennuma

15

December 15,
2019

Kesennuma

16

December 21,
2019

Sendai17

January 15, 2020

Kesennuma

18

January 24, 2020

Sendai19

February 1, 2020

Marumori

20

February 14, 2020

Sendai

12

Osaki

Kesennuma

Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the psychological first aid for children[PFA for children] 1-day training (Kesennuma)
Staff dispatched to the Kesennuma-hosted “Consultation
on children’s language” [Group]
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the psychological first aid for children[PFA for children] 1-day training (Osaki)
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the lecture on psychological first aid for children [PFA for children] (Ashinaga Ikueikai)
Staff dispatched to the Kesennuma-hosted “Consultation
on children’s language” [Group]
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the health lecture for Kesennuma Omose Junior High School
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the psychological first aid for children[PFA for children] 1-day training (Higashimatsushima)
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the health lecture for Kesennuma Omose Junior High School
Clear files for raising public awareness (self-care) distributed to participants of the Ishiko Children’s Association Christmas meeting
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the psychological first aid for children[PFA for children] 1-day training (Sendai)
Staff dispatched to the Kesennuma-hosted “Consultation
on children’s language” [Group]
Posters for raising public awareness (self-care) distributed to elementary and junior high schools in Miyagi
Prefecture
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the lecture for parents with children at Marumori Ouchi Nursery School
Clear files for raising public awareness distributed to attendees of the advanced training for supporters involvedin children’s support

17

10
11

13

10
57

16

130

30

28

8
416

35

23

(5) Research projects
The annually conducted research on continuous support for children born after the Great East Japan
Earthquake and their parents, and on camping projects for parents and children in affected areas is reported in “Chapter II: Research Report and Manuscripts Contributed by Other Journals” in this volume.
Research presentations in FY2019 are as shown in Table 8.
Table 8. Implementation overview of research projects
No.

Implementation dateContent

Theme

1

June 16, 20192

June 20, 201918th Japanese Society for Traumatic StressStudies Symposium
115th Japanese Society of Psychiatry and
Neurology Annual Meeting

3

June 30, 2019

Mothers’ mental health andcommunity support practices
School education in areas affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake and public awareness dissemination activities
through
psychiatric/medicalcare/welfare cooperation
Mental health of mothers who
have children born after the2011 disaster18th European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP) International
Congress- 38 -

Overseeing
occupation
DoctorMental healthand medical
welfareworkerDoctorChildren’s Mental Care Community Base Project4

August 4, 20195

August 7, 20196August 29, 20197

September 13, 20198

October 5, 20199November 3, 201929th Conference of the Japanese Societyof Child Health Nursing
Research on camping projects for parents
and children in affected areas“Japan-jyväskylä Foster Parents Research
Conference” Reports from Japan (JapanJyväskylä Foster Parents Research Conference)

Disaster-related session in 37th JapaneseSociety of Psychosomatic Pediatrics Annual Meeting
Research on camping projects for parents
and children in affected areas
122nd Japanese Society of Pediatric Psychiatry and Neurology Poster Session

Reactions to children’s mental
health and its support
3rd Hop☆Step☆ Day – camping

DoctorInterviewing adoptive and foster parents who have children
with developmental disabilities: preliminary interview for
developing special parent training programs
Challenges to be tackled in thecommunity in preparation for amajor disaster10th Hop☆Step☆ Day –camping
Examination of adoption support for raising children with
developmental disabilities —insights from the qualitative
analysis of adoption interviews

DoctorDoctorDoctorDoctorDoctor

2. Discussion
Compared to FY2018, the number of consultation and training projects both increased in FY2019. The
total number of consultation projects in particular reached a maximum for the fourth year since the projectcontract. The actual number of people has not increased, so it is thought that the number of people requiring
multiple rounds of support, such as in difficult cases, has increased. Furthermore, total number of individual
consultations has increased, while the number of family consultations has decreased for the first time. It isthought that for junior high school students and older, there has been an increasing tendency for individuals
to engage in consultations themselves, rather than having the family act as their representatives. At the
Kesennuma Regional Center, where the number of consultations is increasing, awareness of the center as aconsultation destination has been established through public awareness activities at schools, which havebeen conducted since FY2017. The number of consultations with caregivers, such as mothers, has increased
at the Ishinomaki Regional Center.
Cooperation with infant health examinations (64 times a year) in Ishinomaki is thought to have been a
trigger for this. At the Stem Center, it is thought that the number of cases handled by local government
officials have increased, with efforts focused on supporter support (e.g., advising on cases that are difficult
to respond to).
Regarding professional dispatch projects, there were 309 in FY2018, but this has decreased by 80, to
229 in FY2019. This number is also lower than the 266 and 234 projects in FY2017 and FY2016, respectively. Influential factors are thought to have been the reinforcement of support systems by each local government; the lack of consultations for elementary school home visits, which accompanied the cohort surveys implemented every year until FY2018 (research on continuous support of children born after the earthquake disaster and their parents); and the postponement or suspension of municipal projects due to COVID19 countermeasures.
3. Summary
FY2019 marked four years since the start of the Children’s Mental Care Community Base Project. In
the nine years that have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Kesennuma Regional Center,the Ishinomaki Regional Center, and the Stem Center have each been trying to provide “continuous support,
from children to adults.” The number of consultation projects has been on an increasing trend, while thenumber of professional dispatch projects has been decreasing. Training needs remain high, and workshops
were hosted for the first time in Misato and Marumori, where there have not been requests to date. The
decrease in the number of professional dispatch projects is thought to be due to local governments’/supporters’ establishment of human resources, but support for supporters, such as local government officials,
will remain essential in the future.
In FY2020, the effects of COVID-19 countermeasures have intensified, and we anticipate decreases in
the number of training projects and professional dispatch projects. We anticipate the pandemic having aneffect on public awareness dissemination and research as well. We will also need to consider the possibility- 39 -

FY2019 Bulletin Vol. 8of a large influx of related consultations for consultation projects. We would like to meet the demandfor increased support while prioritizing infection prevention.
The Base Project concluded as of the end of FY2020, and from FY2021, we expect to continue
providing “continuous support, from children to adults” through three projects focused on resident support, supporter support, and raising public awareness. We aim to secure the necessary cooperation tocontinue the PFA for children training and cohort survey projects, as these will be needed in FY2021
and beyond.

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