For Mental Health and Human Services Workers
in Major Disasters
KEY CONCEPTS OF DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH
The following principles guide the provision of mental health assistance following disasters. The truth and wisdom reflected in these principles have been shown over and over again, from disaster to disaster.
KEY CONCEPTS
No one who sees a disaster is untouched by it.
There are two types of disaster trauma-individual and community.
Most people pull together and function during and after a disaster, but their effectiveness is diminished.
Disaster stress and grief reactions are normal responses to an abnormal situation.
Many emotional reactions of disaster survivors stem from problems of living brought about by the disaster.
Most people do not see themselves as needing mental health services following disaster and will not seek such services.
Survivors may reject disaster assistance of all types.
Disaster mental health assistance is often more practical than psychological in nature.
Disaster mental health services must be uniquely tailored to the communities they serve.
Mental health workers need to set aside traditional methods, avoid the use of mental health labels, and use an active outreach approach to intervene successfully in disaster.
Survivors respond to active, genuine interest, and concern.
Interventions must be appropriate to the phase of the disaster.
Social support systems are crucial to recovery.
Most people who are coping with the aftermath of a disaster are normal, well-functioning people who are struggling with the disruption and loss caused by the disaster. They do not see themselves as needing mental health services and are unlikely to request them. This is why disaster mental health workers must go to the survivors and not wait and expect that survivors will come to them. Survivors often find terms like "assistance with resources" and "talking about disaster stress" to be acceptable, and services described as "psychological counseling" and "mental health services" to be for someone else.
Going to survivors means using community outreach strategies. Soon after the disaster, survivors gather in shelters, at mass feeding sites, at disaster recovery centers, at disaster information meetings, and in their neighborhoods to clean up and repair their homes. Churches, senior -centers, local cafes, schools, and community centers are also likely locations where survivors congregate. A considerable amount of psychological support can occur informally over a cup of coffee.
Most importantly, survivors respond to genuine concern, a listening ear, and help with immediate problem-solving. Survivors find brochures and information about "normal reactions to disaster stress" and "how to cope" to be extremely helpful. Disaster mental health services must actively fit the disaster-affected community. This means workers are culturally sensitive, provide information in the languages spoken, and work with local, trusted organizations, and community leaders to better understand survivors' needs.
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