Training for Disaster Stress
Intervention
The sheer numbers of survivors of a disaster could easily
overwhelm the average community's professional therapists, whose traditional individual
and group therapy approaches would be woefully inadequate. Consequently, disaster
interveners can select sensitive indigenous nonprofessionals and train them to become
outreach workers. In the wake of a disaster, outreach workers can make contact with all
those affected to assess their needs, to offer support and information, and to do any
necessary disaster intervention. By providing these outreach services, workers can also
identify individuals and families who are experiencing a great deal of distress and who
are in need of referral for formal counseling. Outreach services are not limited to making
face-to-face contact with survivors. Instead, because many survivors are physically
isolated, outreach also includes telephoning and corresponding with survivors.
Training
Checklist
Disaster Stress Intervention References
Resolution-Focused Crisis Debriefing For
Emergency Services Workers
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Last update: November 11, 1998
