Funding Sought for Quake Counseling

Ventura County mental health officials are seeking an additional $1 million in federal money to provide counseling for residents still trying to cope with the aftermath of January’s devastating earthquake.

Next week, the mental health department will ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to extend for 60 days a grant that went into effect immediately after the Jan. 17 quake, said Bob Benedetto, disaster coordinator for the mental health department.

Mental health officials for the county and the American Red Cross are continuing to counsel individuals affected by the quake, and have treated 1,291 people in Ventura County, said Jane Cazavelan, Red Cross mental health coordinator.

“That might have been a reassuring 20 minutes or two to three hours,” she said, adding that some earthquake victims are able to recover with little counseling, but others can carry the emotional stress for years.

In May, the mental health department plans to apply for an additional nine-month grant that would provide long-term counseling services for displaced residents, Benedetto said. Mental health officials have not determined how much money they will ask for, but Benedetto said it would be “substantial.”

“We will be going for the nine-month because of the severity of this disaster,” Benedetto said. “I think we’re only touching the surface now.”

Benedetto said the magnitude of the disaster and the continuing aftershocks have made recovery difficult.

“We’re finding that people are still in shock, they’re still trying to get over the fact they have lost their homes, their jobs,” Benedetto said. “They’re still feeling . . . that the worst is not over with yet.”