OVERCOMING DISASTER BARRIERS

This paper contains an outline of a workshop designed for the disaster mental health worker. The goal of the workshop is to describe how disaster services are different from other mental health services and to provide suggestions on how to make these services more effective. The types of disasters, the anatomy of a disaster, and time phases of a disaster are all explained. The barriers to overcome in disaster relief for the helper and the survivor are also highlighted. One particular barrier that needs consideration is the cultural bias that may exist in a counseling relationship. Suggestions are provided for types of individual help that can be given in a disaster. These include food, clothing, housing and funding, medical care, emergency funds, legal assistance, disaster unemployment, and property cleanup. Children's disaster reactions that need to be addressed include academic and behavioral regression, behavioral deficits or excesses, emotional reactions, and motivational changes. (Contains 13 references.) (JDM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document