Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT October 6, 2000 ""I couldn't wait for success...so I went ahead without it." - Jonathan Winters LINKS AND SHORT TOPICS
LINKS AND SHORT TOPICS
The Olympics are over. They were fabulous and Australia can be very proud of their great accomplishment. I hope that you got to see at least part of it. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies and ending fireworks bookended a great performance by all involved.
I have been asked to review a book ("Problems and Issues of Diversity in the United States") for the Population and Environmental Psychology Bulletin. The author is Larry L. Naylor. It is a very interesting and provocative book that brings up some very relevant issues and problems for discussion. If you are interested in reading it, you can find it and order it directly online by going to the url below and placing the title in the search box. It will take you to the book. It is available in both hardback and paperback. The paperback version is a lot cheaper.
RemedEase.com http://www.remedease.com/ This site provides a communications and information center for people with chronic diseases, neurological conditions and disabilities and the health professionals and students who work with them. The site carries health-related news and features: * The RemedEase Community - forums where patients, psychologists and other health-care professionals discuss issues such as practice, ethics and legislation. * The RemedEase Directory - an index of more than 1000 Web sites. * RemedEase Profiles - where professionals market their skills to potential employers.
The National Institutes of Health invites research grant applications (R01) to expand basic research on the processes and mechanisms involved in the experience and expression of emotion, including a wide range of psychological, social, developmental and biological phenomena. Cancer-related research is also of interest. Contact: http://www.grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-105.html
China Cultural Tour Information
https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/odocspan/china1.html
||| Contents: Volume 1 ||| Contents: Volume 2 ||| ||| Mental Health Moment Online |||
TRANSITIONAL ACTION IN DISASTERS
Identifying The Clienteles * Who are they? * In what ways are they concerned by the incident? ~ injured ~ witnesses ~ loss of a loved one ~ line personnel ~ other * How many individuals were involved in the incident? Three Types Of Clienteles Primary Clientele The primary clientele includes everyone who directly experienced the traumatic incident. They are the survivors and the eyewitnesses of the disaster or tragedy. Secondary Clientele The secondary clientele are the people who experienced the loss of someone close to them who died during the disaster or the tragedy. They are the families in mourning. Also included in this category is anyone (spouse, children, parents, friends) who has a close emotional relationship to a disaster victim who was affected by the traumatic experience caused by the incident. Tertiary Clientele The tertiary clientele includes the line personnel (first aid workers, policemen, firemen, ambulance staff, rescue teams and stretcher bearers, the medical teams, and workers responsible for handling the dead). * The various coordinators and leaders * The staff providing psychological support * The population (anyone in the population who is affected by the traumatic experience or by the significance of the incident). Children represent an age group which may be very vulnerable and at greater risk. They must be given particular attention. The Psychosocial Impacts The losses caused by a disaster produce various psycho- social impacts because they sever or threaten bonds for the people involved: loved ones, health, work, material possessions. The psychosocial impacts can appear at different times: * immediately * in the short-term * in the medium-term * in the long-term In order to visualize the many bonds that have been severed or threatened and to make an overall prediction in regard to the psychosocial impacts on the people, a distribution according to age group offers certain reminders of: * potential losses for each age group * various psychosocial impacts caused by these losses * reactions frequently observed By associating the losses incurred on one hand with the reactions observed on the other, a picture can be developed of the extent of the "disequilibrium" which the disaster victims and the community may experience. Identify The Perceived Needs Be Proactive * Go out into the population, in the places where people are grouping together * Go out on foot and meet the people in their own milieu * Make home visits to the people residing around the evacuated zone Observe And Listen To: * The reactions * The degree of intensity of these reactions * The needs that have not been satisfied since the incident * The availability of the support network for the people concerned * Comments or rumors on the part of members of the community, significant people, representatives, and people in charge of community organizations. Gather Information * The facts * The data * The statistics * The opinions * The statements made by members of the community * journalistic reports Interpret And Analyze * Together with the community, or individuals concerned, put together a report on the differences between before and after the incident. * Together with the community, or the individuals concerned, determine the priority needs. * Together with the community, or the individuals concerned, determine the means to be implemented in order to encourage their return to dynamic equilibrium. In order to develop a plan of action which will encourage the return to dynamic equilibrium of the people who are experiencing a normal but painful stress caused by the incident, the following can be used as a worksheet: 1. Select one of the following primary clienteles: * children from the elementary school * families who were saved * families who live in the area bordering the evacuated area or incident and who have witnessed it * the elderly people living in retirement homes or care centers * the teaching and administrative staff of the school 2. Answer the following questions: * Means of identifying perceived needs: ~ How will you go about identifying the needs that your clientele perceives? * Unsatisfied needs ~ What needs are being felt which do not seem to have been satisfied and which will require interventions in the next few days? * Priority needs: ~ What criteria will you use to decide the priority needs? ~ What are the priority needs at the moment? Criteria To Determine Priority Needs 1. The needs expressed are very widespread and affect either the entire community or a specific group. 2. The response required to meet these needs is simple, reliable and can be realized under the current conditions. 3. The results will be observed very quickly by the persons concerned. THE TEAM MUST AGREE ON THE SPECIFIC PRIORITY NEEDS TO WHICH THEY MUST RESPOND Preparation Of Intervention Strategies After having determined the priority needs of the community, it is possible to begin the planning work. This consists of deciding and implementing actions which will respond to the priority needs. The answers to the following questions will enable intervention strategies to be prepared. What? * Priority needs For whom? * The target clientele With whom? * The partners in the community * Significant persons * Community organizations How? * The approach selected * The intervention activities * The resources required Where? * The location of the activity * The living milieu When? * Performance timetable The following questions can be used to develop and prepare intervention strategies: 1. Name your clientele. 2. Summarize the priority need of your clientele. 3. Who are the partners in the community or the significant persons who could be associated in the activities for this clientele? 4. What are the activities you would like to perform? 5. What locations do you wish to use to hold these activities? 6. When will you carry out these activities? Analyze The Capacity Of The Team To Respond To The Needs Of The Clienteles Identified * Are the human resources prepared to intervene? * Is the current organization of resources adequate? * Is it necessary to have recourse to outside psychosocial expertise? * Is it necessary to have recourse to outside human resources? * Are the material resources sufficient and appropriate? * Is it necessary to have recourse to outside material resources? Assess The Activities And Re-assess The Needs Goal * To assess the difference between the community's dynamic equilibrium before the incident and the current situation. * To observe the behaviors in the community which are the result of the disaster. Time * 4-6 weeks after the disaster Method * The practitioner will assess the intervention activities and re-assess the needs by going into the community and making contact with the disaster victims. He/she ensures that activities which have already been performed by another organization are not repeated. Attitude * The interview should be carried out in the form of an informed discussion. It should not give the impression of an investigation designed to collect data. The Tool * A theme chart assessing the activities and re-assessing needs can serve as a guide for: ~ home visits ~ telephone interviews ~ the preparation of a questionnaire for the different age groups and key informers. ********************************************************* For further information through books in the field, go to the following url and use the search engine and purchase books of interest online. Begin by using the following descriptors to search: disasters, disaster analysis, disaster clients, priorities and disasters, followup to disaster, etc. https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html ********************************************************* ********************************************************* Contact your local Mental Health Center or check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists, therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in your area for further information. ********************************************************* Watch The Debates - Make A Decision - VOTE George W. Doherty O'Dochartaigh Associates Box 786 Laramie, WY 82073-0786 MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
