The Chinese Academy of Sciences plans to launch an online platform for psychological trauma interventions this year, to overcome a skills shortage.
The platform will marshal resources about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from post-disaster psychological aid from the academy's Institute of Psychology, and the U.S. National PTSD Center.
Liu Zhengkui, researcher at the institute, and deputy secretary-general of China Psychological Society, announced the plan Tuesday, saying the online platform would increase health knowledge, track user symptoms, and offer consultation services with new technologies, including wearable devices, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Since the Wenchuan Earthquake in May 2008, the academy has trained about 1,500 psychological professionals, who had alleviated the psychological wounds of nearly 1 million people.
But they cannot meet the needs of psychological assistance across the country. "The online platform is expected to make up for the lack of training and professionals," said Liu, who also revealed a three-year training program for professionals.
The platform will be launched at the end of this year and start by offering free services to university students.
