Ten-year-old Herdine reacted quickly when the ground beneath Port-au-Prince began shaking Jan. 12. At home with her baby brother, she raced to his crib, scooped him up and ran outside seconds before the family house collapsed.

Since the earthquake, Herdine has been smiling like a typical girl her age, said Robin Contino of Catholic Relief Services: "She just knows she's happy, she has her brother, she's alive."

"But," Contino added, "she doesn't want to close her eyes."

Contino, a clinical social worker, was dispatched to Haiti to address the emotional trauma of the Baltimore-based relief agency's large staff, which includes 300 Haitians and a core group of expatriates.

She met Herdine because the girl's mother is a CRS employee who survived the quake along with Herdine's stepfather. Both parents were working at the time.

Contino's job is to help the helpers cope, even as they continue working to provide food and other emergency aid to Haitians in dire need.

Though no CRS workers died - partly because many were working in less-affected Les Cayes - five lost a spouse, a child or a parent, she said. Virtually everyone knew someone who died. And 60 percent of Haitian staffers lost their homes and are now living in tents or with friends or neighbors.

"It's really important we're able to provide them the care they need to rebuild their lives, so they can help the country rebuild," Contino, 36, said by satellite phone from Port-au-Prince.

To assist in the effort, a Haitian priest who is a therapist traveled from Boston. And four French-speaking social workers flew in from Lebanon, where they have counseled war victims.

At the still-standing CRS headquarters in Port-au-Prince, a tent accommodates counseling sessions, and will host art and music activities for children whose schooling is on hold indefinitely.

For its 100 Haitian employees who were based in devastated Port-au-Prince, CRS is supplying food, tents, cash and health and hygiene kits. A loan program will be set up.

"If they're not healthy and able to do their jobs to the fullest, it's not helping anybody," said Annemarie Reilly, vice president for overseas operations at CRS.

A key part of Contino's mission has been to set up a framework for continued counseling and support as needed, and Reilly said CRS would likely expand its "psychosocial" services to the wider population, especially vulnerable children.

The first week after the quake, many Haitian staff members tended to their families. On Monday most returned to work, and Contino said that has given them an added sense of purpose.

But anxiety lies below the surface: "They're just scared to close their eyes. They don't know what's going to come tomorrow. They're diving into work and trying to gain control over anything they can. They want to provide some peace to their families."

All nine expatriate staff members who were in Haiti for the quake have been told by CRS to leave the country for a breather. For its Haitian employees, CRS is exploring in-country options for a vacationlike respite, Reilly said.

Karel Zelenka, who oversees the CRS program in Haiti, spoke with Contino about how the quake affected him. He still hears the screams when he closes his eyes. "In the worst of nightmares, people cannot imagine," he said in an interview. After visiting CRS headquarters, he will spend a week with his family before returning to Port-au-Prince.

Contino, who grew up in Cockeysville and now lives in Middle River, reached Haiti a week after the quake. Despite her training and experience, it has been trying for her. "It's pretty hard when you're here and see this devastation," she said. "You can't not think about it. You're part of it."

Adding to her stress, the two-week assignment to Haiti meant leaving her 9-month-old son, Luke, in Maryland with her husband, Samir Thapa, and their 3 1/2 -year-old daughter, Lulu.

Psychologically, many Haiti staffers are still dealing with "the initial shock," she said. A few with missing loved ones speak in a way that suggests hope: "I haven't seen my wife since before the earthquake."

But Contino, who will soon return to her Baltimore-based job as CRS regional representative for Asia, thinks most people are edging toward acceptance, the first step in the grieving process. "There is going to be anger, frustration, sadness to come," she said, and CRS will continue to support them.

Meanwhile, she has kept an eye on Herdine. "She's not presenting with significant anxiety," she said. "We have to just be available to validate her experience and reassure her she's safe. Kids respond to structure and love and security. They're resilient."

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