Regarding the Initiatives of Supporters Club Members
Stem Center

Coordinating Manager

Psychiatric Social Worker

1.

Takao Tanno

Introduction

The “Supporters Club Members” is a project in which supporters club registrants (hereinafterreferred to as supporters) are dispatched free of charge from Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center(hereinafter referred to as the center) to local governments, regions, and institutions who have requested
support. Supporters are professionals who have acquired various skills related to mental health (doctors,public health nurses, nurses, psychiatric social workers, social workers, occupational therapists, clinicalpsychologists, nursery school teachers). The project was implemented in cooperation with specialists infields such as mental health belonging to associated organizations.
2.

FY2014 Activity Report( 1 ) Number of Activities
In FY2014, eight supporters (nine people cumulatively) worked in local governments and otherprograms sponsored by the center. Of the eight supporters, two were new and the other six had experience
working as supporters in FY2013. The total number of activity days was 16, of which 12 days wereconsultations and one-on-one consultation activities.
( 2 ) Contents of Activities
The activities included one-day activities and those performed continuously for a certain period(Table 1). These activities included a day camp project by the center (for parents and children in theaffected areas), health consultations, and lecturers at workshops. Ongoing activities included consultations
and one-on-one consultations, and professional staff were dispatched at the request of the local
government.
Table 1 Supporters' Dispatch Destinations and Activities (FY2014)
Dispatch Destination
Job Position
Psychiatric socialworker
Kesennuma CitySupport ContentWorkshop Lecturer

Details
Tapping touch workshop (target:professionals, supporters)

One-on-one
consultations

Occupational
Targeted towards container typetherapist
Yamamoto Town
temporary housing residents
One-on-one consultations at healthconsultation meetings
Advice to public health nurses and Clinicalpsychologist
Iwanuma City
family counselors from a
professional standpoint
DoctorHelping with day camp
management on the day of the event Psychiatric social Our center(target: elementary school students workerand their parents in affected areas)
Psychiatric social
Post health survey consultations
Our centerwith Social Welfare Council staff worker

Consultations
Project Managementand Organization

Consultations after
health surveys- 73 -( 3 ) Ongoing Activities
This section is based on the reports of Supporters club members, Yuki Yasui and Maki Suzuki.
Yasui worked on consultations with mothers and children in Iwanuma City and provided advice to publichealth nurses and family counselors who struggle in clinical practices, such as considering intervention methods
for consultation cases, assessing the degree of risk, and confirming cooperation. Although there were few
consultations by affected residents, there were consultations regarding children raised in dysfunctional families.
During the activities, it was necessary to be aware of the cooperation between people involved in consultation
support in "strategic meetings" and to support the supporters so that they could maintain a relationship with thetarget individuals without giving up.
Suzuki worked on one-on-one consultations at health consultation meetings for container type temporary
housing residents in Yamamoto Town, handling resident health consultations, and providing support to thecenter staff with skills to help prepare for health consultations and promote health. The residents’ visit for
health checks was considered to be relatively maintained. Although there was a tendency towards increased
weight and blood pressure, many people were concerned about their health and were supervised by medical
institutions to control their symptoms. We also felt as though residents considered health counseling as a place
where they could talk.
3. Regarding Future Activities
At the start of these activities, supporters engaged in short-term support activities for several days toseveral weeks with the staff at the center and played the role of logistical support with the center as an adaptablecooperator. However, as the needs of the region have changed over time, a more continuous response has
become necessary. Watanabe1) commented on the change in needs requested to the center after the Great East
Japan Earthquake: “...in the first year, there was a strong tendency to prioritize human resources, and in thesecond-year long-term dispatch became desirable. It was necessary to respond appropriately to such changes
in the situation,” saying that more ongoing support was required.
In the FY2014 initiatives, there was a request for the dispatch of professional staff who could continuously
address local issues. Originally, there were not many professionals with the experience and skills to meet theneeds of the region, and there was no system to make up for the lack of professionals. Under thesecircumstances, the dispatched supporters of the Supporters Club were able to meet some of the mental healthneeds of the municipalities. This is evident from the fact that continuous and regular cooperation ofprofessional staff is required in FY2015. It will be important to respond to immediate needs in the future.
After the earthquake, we realized the importance of "connections between people.” In particular, we wereencouraged and assisted by the relationships and networks that had been cultivated before the earthquake. We
think that many people have realized that good relations and efforts during peaceful times are useful in uniquesituations such as disasters.

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The Supporters Club Members is a mechanism to recruit people who provide support for the mental healthand welfare of the community and to utilize them where support is needed. If such a system can be establishedas something that can be used daily, the supporters' club approach may become one of the networks thatsupport the community. If such a system can be established as something that can be used daily, the Club'sefforts may become one of the networks that support communities.
Citations / References
1) Yuichi Watanabe. The Planning Division's Initiatives and Future Issues, Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care
Center Bulletin, 1st Edition, 2013, 72-78 [in Japanese]- 75 -