Ecologically Based,Culturally Concordant Responding Following Disasters

Abstract

This article reviews the existing theory, research, policy, and practice of disaster mental health and the role of counseling psychology in post-disaster and catastrophic situations, all from a social justice perspective. Specifically, we discuss the phases and stages, social ecology, and individual reactions to disasters. A case study is presented, followed by mental health interventions and counseling psychology’s role in these interventions at both the individual and systemic levels. We conclude with an overview of professional issues that often emerge when working in disaster areas, cultural issues that arise, and ways for counseling psychologists to become involved in this work.

Keywords

social ecology culturally sensitive disaster response counseling psychology professional roles intervention strategies

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aguilera

D. M.

Planchon

L. A.

(1995). The American Psychological Association-California Psychological Association Disaster Response Project: Lessons from the past, guidelines for the future. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26, 550-557. doi:10.1037/0735–7028.26.6.55010.1037/0735–7028.26.6.550.

American Psychological Association. (2007). On the scene after disaster strikes. Practice Update. Retrieved from http://www.apapracticecentral.org/update/2007/12–13/after-disaster.aspx

American Psychological Association. (2010). APA launches online resource for disaster response. Psychology International. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/international/pi/2010/04/disaster-response.aspx

American Red Cross. (2005). Participants workbook (Foundations of Disaster Mental Health, ARC 3077–4A, December). Author.

Aten

J. D.

Madson

M. B.

Rice

Chamberlain

A. K.

(2008). Post disaster supervisor strategies for promoting supervisee self-care: Lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2, 75-82. doi: 10.1037/1931–3918.2.2.7510.1037/1931–3918.2.2.75

Bonanno

G. A.

Galea

Bucciarelli

Vlahov

(2006). Psychological resilience after disaster: New York City in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack. Psychological Science, 17, 181-186. doi: 10.1111/j.1467–9280.2006.01682.x10.1111/j.1467–9280.2006.01682.x.

Bowman

S. L.

Roysircar

(2011). Training and practice in trauma, catastrophes, and disaster counseling. The Counseling Psychologist, 38, 1160-1181.

Bronfenbrenner

(1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Centers for Disease Control. (2005). Disaster mental health primer: Key principles, issues, and questions. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from emergency.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/pdf/primer.pdf

10.

Charuvastra

Cloitre

(2008). Social bonds and posttraumatic stress disorder. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 301-328. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.08565010.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085650.

11.

Collogan

L. K.

Tuma

Dolan-Sewell

Borja

(2004). Ethical issues pertaining to research in the aftermath of disaster. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17, 366-372. doi: 10.1023/B:JOTS.0000048949.43570.6a10.1023/B:JOTS.0000048949.43570.6a

12.

Constantine

M. G.

Hage

S. M.

Kindaichi

M. M.

Bryant

R. M.

(2007). Social justice and multicultural issues: Implications for the practice and training of counselors and counseling psychologists. Journal of Counseling and Development, 85, 24-29.

13.

Dass-Brailsford

(2008). After the storm: Recognition, recovery, and reconstruction. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 24-30. doi: 10.1037/0735–7028.39.1.2410.1037/0735–7028.39.1.24

14.

Department of Health and Human Services. (2003). Developing cultural competence in disaster mental health programs: Guiding principles and recommendations. Retrieved from http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/sma03–3828/default.asp

15.

Edelson

R. J.

D’Alessio

G. R.

Edelson

J. I.

(2003). The impact of September 11 on psychologists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 144-150. doi: 10.1037/0735–7028.34.2.14410.1037/0735–7028.34.2.144

16.

Gabe

Falk

McCarthy

Mason

V. W.

(2005). Hurricane Katrina: Social-demographic characteristics of affected areas. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress. Retrieved from http://www.gnocdc.org/reports/crsrept.pdf

17.

Gheytanchi

. (2007). The dirty dozen: Twelve failures of the Hurricane Katrina response and how psychology can help. American Psychologist, 62, 118-130. doi: 10.1037/0003–066X.62.2.11810.1037/0003–066X.62.2.118

18.

Goldwater

(2008). Cultural competency curriculum for disaster preparedness and crisis response: An OMH tool for first responders. Retrieved from http://alpha.confex.com/apha/136am/techprogram/paper_175219.htm

19.

Halpern

Tramontin

(2007). Disaster mental health: Theory and practice. Belmont, CA: Thompson.

20.

Harvey

M. R.

(2007). Towards an ecological understanding of resilience in trauma survivors: Implications for theory, research, and practice. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 14(1-2), 9-32. doi: 10.1300/J146v14n01_0210.1300/J146v14n01_02

21.

Hoffman

M. A.

Kruczek

(2011). A bioecological model of mass trauma: Individual, community and societal effects. The Counseling Psychologist, 38, 1087-1127.

22.

Hously

Beutler

L. E.

(2007). Treating victims of mass disaster and terrorism. London: Hogrefer & Huber.

23.

Inman

A. G.

Yeh

C. J.

Madan-Bahel

Nath

(2007). Bereavement and coping of South Asian families post 9/11. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 35, 101-115.

24.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee. (2007). IASC guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.

25.

Israel

(2006). Marginalized communities in the United States: Oppression, social justice, and the role of counseling psychologists. In Toporek

R. L.

Gerstein

L. H.

Fouad

N. A.

Roysircar

Israel

(Eds.), Handbook for social justice in counseling psychology: Leadership, vision, and action (pp. 149-154). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

26.

Jacobs

G. A.

(2007). The development and maturation of humanitarian psychology. American Psychologist, 62, 932-941. doi: 10.1037/0003–066X.62.8.93210.1037/0003–066X.62.8.932

27.

Jones

R. T.

Immel

C. S.

Moore

R. M.

Hadder

J. M.

(2008). Hurricane Katrina: Experiences of psychologists and implications for future disaster response. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 100-106. doi: 10.1037/0735–7028.39.1.10010.1037/0735–7028.39.1.100

28.

Kessler

R. C.

Wittchen

(2008). Post-disaster mental health needs assessment surveys. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 17, S2.

29.

Kronenberg

Osofsky

H. J.

Osofsky

J. D.

Many

Hardy

Arey

(2008). First responder culture: Implications for mental health professionals providing services following a natural disaster. Psychiatric Annals, 38, 2. doi: 10.3928/00485713–20080201–0510.3928/00485713–20080201–05

30.

Lange

J. T.

Lange

C. L.

Catabaltica

R. G. B.

(2000). Primary care treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. American Family Physician, 62, 1035-1040.

31.

Larson

D. G.

Hoyt

W. T.

(2007). What has become of grief counseling? An evaluation of the empirical foundations of the new pessimism. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38, 347-355. doi: 10.1037/0735–7028.38.4.34710.1037/0735–7028.38.4.347

32.

Lerner

(1980). The belief in a just world: A fundamental delusion. New York: Plenum Press.

33.

Levy

M. S.

(2008). The impact of Katrina: Shedding light on things forgotten. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 31-36. doi: 10.1037/0735–7028.39.1.3110.1037/0735–7028.39.1.31

34.

Marshall

R. D.

Bryant

R. A.

Amsel

Suh

E. J.

Cook

J. M.

Neria

(2007). The psychology of ongoing threat: Relative risk appraisal, the September 11 attacks and terrorism-related fears. American Psychologist, 62, 304-316. doi: 10.1037/0003–066X.62.4.30410.1037/0003–066X.62.4.304

35.

Mehl

M. R.

Pennebaker

J. W.

(2003). The social dynamics of a cultural upheaval: Social interactions surrounding September 11, 2001. Psychological Science, 14, 579-585. doi: 10.1046/j.0956–7976.2003.psci_1468.x10.1046/j.0956–7976.2003.psci_1468.x

36.

National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and National Center for PTSD. (2005). Psychological first aid: Field operations guide. Rockville, MD: Author. Retrieved from http://www.nctsnet.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=hom_main

37.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2002). Mental health and mass violence: Evidence-based early psychological intervention for victims/survivors of mass violence. A workshop to reach consensus on best practices (NIH Publication No. 02–5138). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

38.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2010). Ethical issues to consider in developing, evaluating, and conducting research post-disaster. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research-funding/grants/ethical-issues-to-consider-in-developing-evaluating-and-conducting-research-post-disaster.shtml

39.

National Library of Medicine. (2010). Disaster information management research center. Retrieved from http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/subjectguides.html

40.

Nelson

Lurie

Wasserman

(2007). Assessing public health emergency preparedness: Concepts, tools, and challenges. Annual Review of Public Health, 28, 1-18. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.14405410.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.144054

41.

North

C. S.

Pfefferbaum

Tucker

(2002). Ethical and methodological issues in academic mental health research in populations affected by disasters: The Oklahoma City experience relevant to September 11, 2001. CNS Spectrums, 7(8), 580-584. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15094694

42.

Piliavan

J. A.

Charng

(1990). Altruism: A review of recent research and theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 16, 27-65. doi: 10.1146/annurev.s0.16.080190.00033110.1146/annurev.s0.16.080190.000331

43.

Santiago-Rivera

A. L.

Talka

Tully

A. W.

(2006). Environmental racism: A call to the profession for community intervention and social action. In Toporek

R. L.

Gerstein

L. H.

Fouad

N. A.

Roysircar

Israel

(Eds.), Handbook for social justice in counseling psychology: Leadership, vision, and action (pp. 185-199). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

44.

Schlenger

W. E.

Caddell

J. M.

Ebert

Jordan

Rourke

K. M.

Wilson

. . . Kulka

R. A.

(2002). Psychological reactions to terrorist attacks: Findings from the national study of America’s reactions to September 11. JAMA, 288, 581-588. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.5.58110.1001/jama.288.5.581

45.

Spencer

. (2006). Understanding vulnerability and resilience from a normative developmental perspective: Implications for racially and ethnically diverse youth. In Cicchetti

Cohen

D. J.

(Eds.), Developmental psychopathology, Vol 1: Theory and method (2nd ed., pp. 627-672). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

46.

Stephens

N. M.

Hamedani

M. G.

Markus

H. R.

Bergsieker

H. B.

Eloul

(2009). Why did they “choose” to stay: Perspectives of Hurricane Katrina observers and survivors. Psychological Science, 20, 878-886. doi: 10.1111/j.1467–9280.2009.02386.x10.1111/j.1467–9280.2009.02386.x

47.

Toporek

R. L.

Gerstein

L. H.

Fouad

N. A.

Roysircar-Sodowsky

D. G.

Israel

(Eds.). (2006). Handbook for social justice in counseling psychology: Leadership, vision, and action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

48.

Tummala-Narra

(2007). Contextualizing trauma and resilience across diverse contexts: A multicultural perspective. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 14, 33-53. doi: 10.1300/J146v14n01_0310.1300/J146v14n01_03

49.

Vera

E. M.

Speight

S. L.

(2003). Multicultural competence, social justice, and counseling psychology: Expanding our roles. The Counseling Psychologist, 31, 253-272. doi: 10.1177/001100000303100300110.1177/0011000003031003001

50.

Vernberg

E. M.

Steinberg

A. M.

Jacobs

A. K.

Brymer

M. J.

Watson

P. J.

Osofsky

J. D.

. . . Ruzek

J. I.

(2008). Innovations in disaster mental health: Psychological first aid. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 381-388. doi: 10.1037/a001266310.1037/a0012663

51.

Walsh

(2002). A family resilience framework: Innovative practice applications. Family Relations, 51, 130-137. doi: 10.1111/j.1741–3729.2002.00130.x10.1111/j.1741–3729.2002.00130.x

52.

Wang

P. S.

Gruber

M. J.

Powers

R. E.

Schoenbaum

Speier

A. H.

Wells

K. B.

Kesseler

R. C.

(2008). Disruption of existing mental health treatments and failure to initiate new treatment after hurricane Katrina. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 34-41. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.0703050210.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07030502

53.

World Health Organization. (2008). World Health Organization Humanitarian Action 2008–2009: Biennial work plan to support WHO’s capacity for work in emergencies and crises. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.