6 Şubat Depremi Sonrasında Manevi Danışmanlık Hizmetleri: Kırşehir Örneği
Spiritual Counseling Services after the February 6 Earthquake: Kırşehir Example

Summary/Abstract: A major earthquake occurred in Türkiye on February 6, 2023, covering 11 provinces and districts. In this earthquake, all public institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) mobilized to support the region. Some public institutions and organizations undertook the task of removing debris, providing medical attention to the injured, supplying and setting up tents, meeting needs for food and accommodation, etc. Some also provided pastoral (spiritual) support to reduce the traumatic effects of the earthquake. The employees of the Provincial and District Mufti Offices, the central organization and the Religious Foundation’s employees, who are affiliated with the Presidency of Religious Affairs (PRA), a public institution, also served in the field. The fact that PRA staffs served as spiritual counselors in the earthquake zone was criticized by some groups at the time. This study aimed to determine in detail what the PRA’s staff serve as spiritual counseling do in the field and to evaluate the conformity of what is done with the principles of the spiritual counseling profession, based on the literature. I conducted a case study which is a qualitative research design. The study group comprised religious officials working in Kırşehir provincial and district mufti offices. In selecting participants, I used the purposeful sampling method and the criterion sampling technique. The preferred criterion was to serve in Kırşehir provincial and district mufti offices and to work in the field as a spiritual advisor after the earthquake. Descriptive analysis was applied to the data obtained from the questions asked through semi-structured interviews conducted with the participants. Interview questions were created by the researcher in accordance with the research purpose and based on the literature review. The findings provided the following classified information: Psychological/spiritual counseling: During the visits, holding the earthquake victims' hands, hugging them, emotional companionship, caressing the children's heads, etc. By giving a feeling of closeness, they enabled the earthquake victims to talk freely. Due to the structure of the region, they went to all the villages without any sectarian discrimination, helped the victims in the area, and expressed sympathy by saying "You are our brothers/sisters, we came for you, you are not alone, we share your pain, get well soon." Religious/spiritual counseling: washing the corpse, shrouding it, performing funeral prayers, activities such as the time prayers and Friday prayers, reading the Quran, preaching, and religious conversation were carried out in the tent mosque. The officers regularly visited tent cities, containers, and villages where the earthquake victims lived, checked with them how they were doing, and conducted religious ceremonies by the request of the earthquake survivors. Support service: The first officers to arrive were distributing food/water, setting up tents, and AFAD rescue operations. Other services: To support the development of the economy in the region, the officers did shopping from the earthquake affected tradesmen, provided dowries to engaged people, and supplied books to the university students.

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