Chapter 16 - Disaster Response

Question 1

Operational Debriefing

Answer 1

A formal part of organizational response to disaster. It helps survivors in finding meaning and closure following both natural and human-caused stressful events.

Question 2

Psychological or Stress Debriefing

Answer 2

Refers to a variety of practices for which there is little supportive empirical evidence. It is strongly suggested that psychological debriefing is not an appropriate mental health intervention.

Question 3

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)

Answer 3

Is a formalized, structured method whereby a group of rescue and response workers reviews the stressful experience of a disaster. Developed to help first responders process disaster experiences.

Question 4

Informal Debriefing

Answer 4

A brief, first-order intervention post-trauma to air feelings and thoughts, accelerating recovery.

Question 5

Formal Debriefing Process

Answer 5

A structured group setting intervention taking place within 24 hours to 7 days post-event, aimed at transitioning from processing event facts to managing emotional and cognitive responses.

Question 6

Stages of Formal Debriefing

Answer 6

Introduction: Establishes the session’s tone and confidentiality.

Fact-Finding: Participants share their perspectives and involvement.

Thoughts: Elicits participants’ initial thoughts, personalizing the event.

Reaction: Encourages emotional expression about the event’s impact.

Symptoms: Discusses experiences during and post-event to shift focus to cognitive material.

Teaching: Educates on stress symptoms and management.

Reentry: Summarizes, offers closure, and provides further support resources.

Question 7

What is debriefing?

Answer 7

Debriefing is an intervention designed to assist workers and survivors in dealing with intense thoughts, feelings, and reactions that occur after a traumatic event, and to decrease their impact and facilitate the recovery of normal people having normal reactions to abnormal events

Question 8

What are the crisis worker duties after disasters?

Answer 8

Psychosocial support, practical help, emotional and social support, referrals and follow-up

Question 9

What are the 3 types of disasters?

Answer 9

Human made disasters, natural disasters, megacrisis

Question 10

Natural Disasters

Answer 10

Include hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes; often unpredictable with rapid onset and significant damage.

Question 11

Humanmade Disasters

Answer 11

Result from human error or negligence, such as mass shootings, building collapses, and transportation accidents.

Question 12

Megacrises

Answer 12

Global disasters that drastically change daily life across the world, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis.

Question 13

True or False: PFA workers should engage in therapy and/or probe for tragic details.

Answer 13

False. The role of PFA workers is to support through presence and listening.

Question 14

What is the aim of psychological first aid?

Answer 14

PFA aims to establish safety, reduce stress symptoms, provide rest, and link survivors to resources.

Question 15

What are the various national crisis response teams?

Answer 15

-National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) CRTs

-The Red Cross

-Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

-National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

-Professional Organizations (i.e. APA and ACA)

-The American School Counseling Association and the National Association of School Psychologist

-Faith-Based Organizations (i.e. The Salvation Army and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief)

Question 16

What are the characteristics of constructing an outreach team?

Answer 16

1) Team Composition - Outreach teams include psychiatric nurses, paramedics, emergency workers, psychiatrists, social workers, volunteers, rehabilitation counselors, police officers, and psychologists.

2) Community Integration - These teams are characterized by their multidisciplinary approach, strong social and community networks, user participation in policy and service delivery, and workplace egalitarianism

3) Training and Preparation - these teams receive training before crises occur, equipping them with diverse skills to handle various situations effectively

4) Operational Dynamics -Members typically have other primary jobs but respond immediately to crisis calls, forming a team to address the situation, much like a volunteer fire department.