ABSTRACT

LARGE-SCALE DISASTERS PRESENT EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGES TO PROFESSIONALS who are responsible for providing critical services before, during, and after a disaster strikes. Effective disaster mental health response requires a preplanned, coordinated, and comprehensive program of services that must be effectively integrated into the overall community response coordinated by the local emergency management organization. Over the past 30 years, knowledge of the psychological impacts of disaster on individuals and communities has grown tremendously (see chapters 1 and 2). Likewise, the knowledge of what constitutes an effective disaster mental health program has been fine-tuned through field-based observations, clinical experience, program evaluation, and empirical research on services delivered by a wide range of providers. Numerous training manuals (Farberow & Frederick, 1978; DeWolfe, 2000; Myers, 1994b; Young, Ford, Ruzek, Friedman, & Gusman, 1998) have been published describing methods for assessing community needs and developing and delivering mental health services proven to be effective in prior disasters. One could argue that a “standard of care” has developed in which effective methods of disaster mental health service delivery have been identified, standardized, provided, and evaluated over time.