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CHENGDU, China: The deadly Wenchuan earthquake in China's Sichuan province killed thousands of students. The disaster has left an indelible mark on their schoolmates who survived and many are still traumatised by that few minutes that changed their lives.
While teachers and aid workers are trying their best to help the young ones, counsellors are also appealing for a long-term, sustained effort to help the youngsters cope.
Half of the 2,000 students from Xuankou Secondary School were buried in the deadly earthquake. The school was located in Yingxiu Town, part of the Wenchuan epicentre.
Some of the students have been transferred to a shelter which was converted from a sports stadium in Chengdu city. A counselling station was set up to help students cope with the trauma.
One student was spared the ordeal as she and her classmates were having physical education lessons outside the school building, when the quake struck.
Students have been painting pictures after the earthquake and one of them may be well on her way to recovery with her vibrant use of colours. However, a picture drawn by one male student reflects something more worrying.
Ju Honglin, a counsellor, said: "The use of black ink and his strokes suggest that the student is still haunted by what happened. His state of mind remains at the exact moment when the quake happened. He is unable to respond to the support and therapy that we give him as his heart is filled with grief."
The boy managed to escape from the school building. However, Miss Ju said he has been stricken with self-blame as he chided himself for not being able to help his classmates.
She added that the first three months following the disaster is crucial to the psychological recovery of traumatised patients.
More than 200,000 volunteers are counselling the quake victims at the moment. To help more survivors cope with the emotional aftermath, the Sichuan government said it welcomes overseas experts for their assistance, especially in training large numbers of local counsellors.
But even more needs to be done to ensure a full recovery.
Ms Ju continued: "I hope a more comprehensive network will be set up to manage the counsellors; one that enables us to track the progress of the survivors that we've come across."
For now, the main task is to identify those who need long-term counselling. - CNA/vm
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