NORTHRIDGE : Center to Deal With Post-Quake Fears

The San Fernando Valley’s only free trauma center for victims of sexual assault is opening its doors and telephone lines to victims of another kind of trauma: the Northridge earthquake.

With a grant from the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation, the nonprofit Valley Trauma Center is offering assistance to people feeling rattled and fearful in the aftermath of the devastating quake.

The center, which is staffed by graduate students and volunteers affiliated with Cal State Northridge, will reach out to victims at Valley schools, churches and community organizations. With the $10,000 grant, the center will conduct disaster counseling for groups and individuals. The center’s 24-hour hot line will also be open to victims of the quake.

Charles E. Hanson, a professor of counseling at CSUN, said the trauma center is well-equipped to handle the kinds of trauma an earthquake can inflict.

“These are specialists in treating trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder,” Hanson said of the center’s counselors.

A disaster of this magnitude can lead to a variety of emotional reactions, he said. The suddenness and intensity of the quake and the unpredictability of the aftershocks can shatter one’s sense of control. The loss of homes or property can cause a feeling of diminished security. And the fear inflicted by the experience can trigger a reawakening of painful times in one’s past.

Patti Dengler, assistant director of the trauma center, said many people are just beginning to face their emotions, nearly two months after the quake.

“This is the time when many people are getting upset,” Dengler said. “During the quake and in the aftermath, people were so busy taking care of things and holding themselves together that they didn’t necessarily even know what they felt. Now they’re starting to feel it.”

The 24-hour hot line number is (818) 886-0453.