OUR hiSTORY
The PIER organization originates in the city of São Sebastião as a psychology-collective group carrying out activities of support and caring to the people affected directly and indirectly by the floods caused by the torrential rains in February 2023. With the help of Verdescola Institute, a group of psychologists started the project at Vila Sahy neighborhood, the most affected place by the torrential rains, having in mind the huge impact of the disaster in the collective and individual mental health. The FIRST STEP of our work involved structuring a plan to meet the emergencial need to support grieving families, displaced, homeless, and severely injured
individuals, pursuant to Public Calamity Decree of the Municipality of São Sebastião 8777/2023.
In the SECOND STEP, a psychology project was developed to provide emergency assistance to families, promoting support and care directly in the local. 780 people were attended in 11 days by 5 teams of psychologists (4 in person and 1 online). We gathered volunteer psychologists at a designated station, provided guidance and assigned them according to the demands and their
qualifications. We monitored, supervised and adjusted our work each day according to the new demands of individuals in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability.
In the THIRD STEP, 11 days after the tragedy, 38 psychologists were hired to provide psychological counseling services in person and online through Verdescola Institute. The sessions happenned in groups and individually, with the initial approach based on brief
psychology and community therapy in order to promote the right to mental health in a context of extreme vulnerability and helplessness.
In addition to the support of the NGOs Horas da Vida and União BR by Verdescola Institute the CONTAINER PROJECT was launched with the aim of supporting the affected people, mainly from Vila Sahy, but also from other locations on the South Cost of São Sebastião such as Juquehy, Vila Esquimó, Baleia, Baleia Verde, Cambury, Sertão do Piavú, Areião, Sertão do Cacau, Boiçucanga and Bertioga). Our work focused on the development of emotional resources to face this community disaster. Our team maintained an important articulation with public health and social assistance, specially Family Health Unit at Vila Sahy and the São Sebastião Health Department. Referrals to different areas of healthcare were facilitated, considering an integrative approach to the population’s health.
there were more than 4000 appointments among children, adolescents and adults until October 2023.
Under the PIER TERRITÓ RIOS PROJECT , group sessions are being implemented with children, adolescents and adults, focusing on reframing and reorganizing their individually and collective presumed worlds (which is configured as the FOURTH STAGE of work in emergency situations).
This teamwork was officiated with the foundation of the Civil Society Organization (CSOS) PIER Integrative Psychology for Emergencies and Rescues, that aims to become a standpoint in promoting mental health at the south coast of the city of São Sebastião.
Therefore, our history was built as an action plan towards emergencies, critical situations and disasters. Acting in the FIRST STAGE with support and guidance to the victims and their emergency needs. SECOND STAGE: diagnosis, elaboration of an action plan and strengthening of a support network. THIRD STAGE: adaptation of psychotherapeutic spaces for individual and group sessions, both online and in-person, based on brief psychotherapy and community therapy. FOURTH STAGE: psychotherapy group sessions focusing on reorganizing the individual and collective presumed worlds, in addition to individual sessions as required by the needs of the participants. Finally, as a FIFTH STAGE, share the project experiences, multiplying, training and graduating professionals to meet this demand.
*In this first moment, we counted on organizations and institutes that collaborated with this work, such as Verdescola Institute, Horas da Vida, União BR, 4 Estações Instituto de Psicologia, Céu Estrelado, Pedagogia de Emergência, Buscapé, Atados São Paulo, and the support of representatives from the Government of the State of São Paulo and the São Sebastião City Hall.