Children in Aceh suffering post-traumatic disorder caused by the Boxing Day tsunami are learning to heal through play therapy after a group of Acehenese volunteers were trained as child trauma counsellors.

Plan, an international child centred community development agency. has partnered with Himpunan Psikologi Indonesia (HIMPSI), the Indonesian Psychological Association in a unique approach to help tsunami-affected children in 23 of Aceh's internally displaced persons camps.

HIMPSI training course facilitator Rio Adriansah said many children in the temporary camps were suffering post-traumatic disorder. "Their behaviour has changed dramatically since the tsunami," he said.

Mr Adriansah said a professional assessment confirmed by daily observations in the camps revealed that many children choose not to interact with others, preferring to be alone.

"Three months since the tsunami, aftershocks from the earthquake are still being felt. These are regular and all-too-real reminders to the children of their harrowing experiences on Boxing Day," said Janet Parry, a Plan Australia program manager, who has just returned from Aceh.

"This week in Aceh Besar, 20 young men and women - tsunami survivors themselves, took part in specialised training with HIMPSI, learning skills to help children in their camps reduce their stress so that they can start to remember and therefore begin healing their psychological and social trauma," Ms Parry said.

"The play therapy program, which uses games, songs, drawing and role-playing, was developed after residents of Plan-assisted temporary housing camps in Aceh expressed concern that many of the 150,000 children in the camps were still blocking their memories of the tsunami," Ms Parry said.

"The play therapy is being very effective in helping children relax so that they can start to remember, understand and accept what has happened and be able to move forward socially and emotionally," she said.

Plan Indonesia Aceh Program Unit manager Mr A Amrullah said: "because these volunteer trainees are tsunami-affected camps residents themselves, they know first-hand the issues which children are dealing with and already have the children's trust. This training will help them better deal with the psychological and social issues the children in their classes are dealing with."

During the Plan initiated and funded training in psychosocial trauma counselling, the participants learn about working as a team, child development, how to recognise post trauma disorder, and how to transfer their new knowledge and skills to others to increase the effectiveness of the training.

Plan first came to Aceh in the days following the tsunami and is now well established.

"The agency's unique approach of involving camp residents and their children in deciding what needs to be done to rebuild their lives has already made Plan well known and trusted in many of the camps," Mr Amrullah said.

"Our participatory approach has attracted a growing number of volunteers from within the camps to work with Plan . including those taking part in the psychosocial trauma reduction training this week," Mr Amrullah said.

"Once these young men and women complete the training course, they will then help HIMPSI facilitators train the next group of volunteers in preparation for their work with children in the displaced persons camps," Mr Amrullah said.

"Plan will provide ongoing support for the new child trauma counsellors in the camps and in the new permanent villages they move to," Mr Amrullah added.

Plan is one of the world's leading international non-government, non-religious organisations for children.  It has worked in Indonesia for more than 36 years and currently sponsors 49,900 children and their communities in Indonesia .

Training of local community members to better help children realise their potential is a key example of the child centred community development approach taken by Plan, an international development organisation which has been working with children and their communities in the developing world for over 65 years.