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A team of psychologists has been helping hundreds of survivors of this year's Typhoon Saomai come to terms with the death and destruction that they witnessed.

The team, made up of 41 psychologists, has counseled more than 300 people, including many children.

It is the first time the central government has sent out a mental health intervention team following a disaster.

Saomai killed 233 people and left 144 missing when it struck Zhejiang Province last month, according to the State Administration of Work Safety's website.

The counselors said that when they first went to disaster-hit areas many people were initially hostile.

For example, when the experts first showed up in Heweiyang Village in Zhejiang people shouted at them.

"We are not patients. You people are insane," was one comment. "Don't bother, we've got enough trouble already," was another.

But Zhao Guoqiu, director of Hangzhou Mental Crisis Research and Intervention Center in Zhejiang Province, defended the intervention.

"The survivors at the scene had just lost connection to the world they are familiar with.

"A supportive, compassionate and non-judgmental verbal or non-verbal exchange helped them reconnect."

The counselor recalled his experiences talking to one patient, 12-year-old Ding Liuquan, who lost four family members in Typhoon Saomai.

"Tell me why you failed to save your mum and sisters that day," he asked him.

The boy answered: "Because they were too heavy."

"Yes, you were too small to pull them out of water, so their death is not your fault," replied the counselor.

After he talked with Zhao, young Ding nodded and seemed to understand, Beijing Youth Daily reported yesterday.

"You did whatever you could to help, and you need not feel any guilt," the expert said.

Five days later, Zhao received a phone call from Ding: "Could you please also help my father? He's had no sleep and has been crying ever since he came back yesterday."

Later experts helped Ding's father and uncle recover from their bitter experiences. With the four deaths, the Dings were one of the worst-hit families.

Cong Zhong, a professor in mental health research at Peking University, said: "Without mental health assistance, it cannot be said that disaster-relief efforts are complete.

"A thorough recovery goes from outside to inside, and to the heart's salvation."

About 200 million Chinese, more than one-seventh of the total population, suffer from natural disasters every year, Cong said.

By 2010, half of the survivors of natural disasters should have access to mental health intervention care, according to the Ministry of Health.

The central government has already set up such organizations in major cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

(China Daily September 19, 2006)