The Trauma Symposium, hosted by Marmara University and organized by the Psychology Club of the Department of Psychology, Marmara University, was held on December 22, 2025. Within the scope of the symposium, findings from the PASS Project, conducted under the coordination of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burcu Uysal at İbn Haldun University, were presented to the academic community.
As a speaker at the symposium, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burcu Uysal shared key findings of the PASS Project, which is based on the experiences of professionals who worked in the field following the February 6 earthquakes. In her presentation, she also addressed the concept of secondary trauma and reflected on the psychological processes experienced by professionals providing services in post-disaster contexts. Uysal emphasized that the PASS Project is directly grounded in the fieldwork conducted at the Adıyaman Psychotherapy Clinic of the İbn Haldun University Center for Psychotherapy Research (IPAM).
Within the scope of the PASS Project, a workshop was held between July 6 and 8, 2025, at the İbn Haldun University Campus, bringing together 106 professionals who had worked in the field after the earthquake. During the workshop, participants’ experiences were examined through focus group discussions conducted at ten separate tables.
Following this workshop, a meeting hosted by Ankara Social Sciences University on September 10, 2025, brought together approximately 20 decision-makers. At this meeting, preliminary findings obtained from the project were shared, and potential solution-oriented approaches were discussed. The outputs of the PASS Project continue to be disseminated to relevant stakeholders and the broader public through social media platforms and various academic events.
Uysal also noted that, as an outcome of the services provided by IPAM in the field following the February 6 earthquakes, applications were submitted for two separate projects. In addition to the PASS Project, she stated that another project focusing on post-earthquake bereavement processes is currently ongoing.
In addition to producing written outputs such as books and booklets, the PASS Project aims to contribute to the field of mental health and to societal well-being through psychoeducation programs and experience-sharing–focused activities. The project has been conducted for approximately one year in collaboration with Hasan Kalyoncu University by the Trauma and Resilience Laboratory and IPAM, with the support of the European Union and the Turkish National Agency.
