ABSTRACT
This study aims to comprehensively address the challenges faced by psychosocial support (PSS) workers in disaster areas, their methods of coping with these challenges, and their needs for improvement. The study adopted a qualitative research method and used a phenomenological research design. In the data collection process, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 psychosocial support workers working in the field after the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. The data obtained from the participants were descriptively analyzed and interpreted by the thematic analysis method using the MAXQDA program. Research findings reveal that psychosocial support workers face challenges such as lack of training, insufficient resources, heavy emotional burden and coordination issues in the aftermath of disasters such as earthquakes. In particular, it is understood that insufficient training in post-disaster psychological first aid, grief counselling and post-traumatic stress disorder negatively affects intervention processes. Psychosocial support workers in the earthquake zone emphasised that team cohesion and collaboration are critical in overcoming the challenges encountered during fieldwork, and stated that methods such as play therapy for children, individual counselling, and grief counselling make significant contributions to those affected by the disaster. The results of the study reveal that regular and comprehensive training, the establishment of a strong coordination system in the field, and the development of support mechanisms for employees are necessary to improve post-disaster response processes.