Course Overview:
Disaster Behavioral Health: All-Hazards Training is a one-day, highly-interactive program that focuses on optimal function for disaster/emergency workers responding to extreme events. Disaster behavioral health support incorporates generalist skills that can be integrated into the role of all response professionals. In the immediate and short-term aftermath of disasters, response professionals need to optimize their personal ability to focus and function, provide constructive support to colleagues, and provide basic behavioral health support to disaster survivors.
Target Audience:
Disaster Behavioral Health: All-Hazards Training is designed for public health professionals and heath care professionals with disaster response roles. Community preparedness and response partners, especially first-responders (emergency management/EMS/fire/rescue/law enforcement personnel) and behavioral health professionals will find this course particularly relevant.
Course Content:
1) Disaster Behavioral Health Concepts and Applications
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Disaster Behavioral Health Overview: An Ecological Approach
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Hazard: Behavioral Health Impact of the Forces of Harm
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Population: Risk and Resilience in Persons Exposed to Disasters
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Context: Community Factors in Response and Resilience
2) Responder Resiliency Workshop
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Stress, Stressors, Stress Management 1: Stress Awareness: Developing a Common Language
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Stress, Stressors, Stress Management 2: Cognitive Strategies
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Stress, Stressors, Stress Management 3: Coping and Behavioral Strategies
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Management Approaches to Optimal Responder Function
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Self-care and Responder Resiliency
3) Survivor Support/Psychological First Aid Workshop
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Evidence Based and Expert Consensus on Early Intervention
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Psychological First Aid: The Emerging Gold Standard
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Safety, Function, Action: Framing the Gold Standard
Objectives:
1) Disaster Behavioral Health Concepts and Applications
- Identify behavioral health effects of disasters as an interaction of hazard with affected population within a broader community context.
- Identify the stress-producing aspects of disaster hazards.
- Identify special population needs and behavioral health response.
- Recognize cross-cultural issues in disasters.
- Describe the stages of community response to disasters.
- Identify factors that distinguish community risk and resilience.
2) Responder Resiliency Workshop
- Define stress and stressors.
- Identify the multiple dimensions of stress reactions.
- Identify skills for cognitive restructuring of stressful perceptions.
- Compare and contrast controllable versus uncontrollable aspects of disasters.
- Compare and contrast problem-focused and emotion-focused coping skills.
- Apply problem-focused coping skills to controllable aspects.
- Apply emotion-focused coping skills to uncontrollable aspects.
- Identify self-care strategies such as relaxation techniques.
- Recognize the range of options for managing teams of responders to minimize stress and maximize resilience.
- Identify key concepts of responder resilience and strategies for enhancing resilience.
3) Survivor Support/Psychological First Aid Workshop
- Identify the state-of-the-science of early behavioral health intervention following disasters.
- Describe the precepts of Psychological First Aid based on the emerging standard.
- Distinguish the Do’s and Don’ts of Psychological First Aid.
- Describe the basic skills and techniques of Psychological First Aid within the Safety, Function, Action framework.
- Identify the boundaries of your role as responder with enhanced abilities to provide Psychological First Aid.
Methods of instruction:
Lecture, discussion, and group exercises will be used to present the concepts of disaster behavioral health and techniques of psychological first aid and allied interventions.
Program Agenda:
7:30 AM Arrival at site
8:00 AM Registration
8:30 AM Training
10:15 AM Break
10:30 AM Training
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Training
2:30 PM Break
2:45 PM Training
4:00 PM Evaluation and Adjournment
This training directly addresses the first-listed Behavioral Health Core Competency for hospitals developed by the Florida State Working Group: “Provide behavioral health training for all hospital professionals emphasizing disaster stress, normal reactions, and support services.”
Faculty:
James M. Shultz, MS, PhD
Director, DEEP Center
Co-Director, Miami Center for Public Health Preparedness
Brian W. Flynn, EdD
Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda MD. Dr. Flynn, Assistant U.S. Surgeon General and Rear Admiral, US Public Health Service (Ret.), served as the lead federal official for disaster behavioral health from the 1980s through 2002. He was deployed to Ground Zero, Oklahoma City, African embassy bombings, and Columbine as well as numerous natural disasters and humanitarian crises. He specializes in disaster behavioral health planning.
Roselyn G. Smith, PhD
DEEP Center
Dr. Smith is a Psychologist with extensive experience in training focusing on stress management and effective coping. Her research focus includes adaptation to and coping with serious medical conditions and trauma.
David Ratnavale, MD
Dr. Ratnavale is a psychiatrist and personal advisor to the President of Sri Lanka. He has organized the behavioral health response to the 2004 tsunami for the nation of Sri Lanka.
Course Statistics
Previous Training Schedule
Downloadable PDF Brochure
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