Open Access
ARTICLE
Experiences of Counselors Who Provided Psychological Support during COVID-19 Disaster: A Qualitative Study
Jung Eun Kim1, So Yeon Yoo2,*
1
Namgu Mental Health Welfare Center, Daegu, 42424, South Korea
2
Department of Nursing, Kyungil University, Gyeongbuk, 38428, South Korea
* Corresponding Author: So Yeon Yoo. Email:
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2023, 25(5), 687-697. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.026759
Received 24 September 2022; Accepted 20 December 2022; Issue published 28 April 2023
Abstract
Background: In crisis intervention sites such as infectious disease disasters, counselors are repeatedly exposed,
directly or indirectly, to the traumatic experiences of victims. Disaster counseling has a negative effect on counselors, which can eventually interfere with the counseling process for disaster victims. Therefore, exploring and
understanding the experiences of counselors is necessary to ensure that qualitative counseling for disaster victims
can be continuously and efficiently conducted.
Objectives: This study investigated the experiences of counselors
who participated in mental health counseling as psychological support for victims of the COVID-19 disaster in
Korea.
Design: This is a qualitative study.
Participants: The study participants comprised 18 counselors who had
mental health professional qualifications of level 2 or higher and who had provided mental health counseling for
COVID-19 confirmed cases and quarantined persons.
Methods: Data were collected using focus group interviews
from February 21 to May 29, 2021. The duration of each interview was 60–90 min, and the data were analyzed
using content analysis.
Results: The final theme was “Continuing to walk this road anytime, anywhere.” The participants’ experiences were identified in four sub-themes: “being deployed to unprepared counseling,” “encountering various difficulties,” “feeling full of meaning and value,” and “hoping to become a better counselor.”
Conclusions: In order to continuously provide qualitative counseling in case of an infectious disease disaster such
as COVID-19, it is important to develop a qualification and competency strengthening program through education and training to secure the crisis intervention expertise of counselors according to the characteristics of the
disaster. In addition, a psychological support manual for each disaster should be prepared at the national level
according to the type of disaster.
Keywords
Cite This Article
APA Style
Kim, J.E., Yoo, S.Y. (2023). Experiences of counselors who provided psychological support during COVID-19 disaster: A qualitative study. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 25(5), 687-697. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.026759
Vancouver Style
Kim JE, Yoo SY. Experiences of counselors who provided psychological support during COVID-19 disaster: A qualitative study. Int J Ment Health Promot. 2023;25(5):687-697 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.026759
IEEE Style
J.E. Kim and S.Y. Yoo, "Experiences of Counselors Who Provided Psychological Support during COVID-19 Disaster: A Qualitative Study," Int. J. Ment. Health Promot., vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 687-697. 2023. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.026759