The ANPAS model of psychological support in emergency

This article presents the peculiar emergency psychology model in civil protection adopted by ANPAs during national emergencies. The aim of this model is to work on mental health and psychosocial support in disasters, in order to assist populations (such as displaced persons, disaster survivors, and so on) and volunteers deployed on disaster-affected-places both affected to extreme stressors. ANPAs disaster risks capacities are large in terms of emergency temporary shelter capabilities (able to host up to 250 displaced persons), volunteers involved in the response operations (from 50 to 100 volunteers in the same time), and volunteer emergency psychologists (up to 2 psychologists operative 24 hours a day in seven-day shifts). The paper explains how the methodology approach endorsed into ANPAs organization suits to the peculiar needs of the emergency temporary shelter. In particular, it describes the several considerations taken into account during the demand analysis with the aim to protect the mental health and psychosocial well-being of camp residents, while providing for their basic needs and security. At once, the article shows the ways of intervention that are implemented and how contacts with local mental health services are kept; furthermore it reveals how the handover takes place in a way that both the continuity of the intervention and the protection of user privacy are guaranteed. Eventually, the document offers a practical panoramic on the activities carried out by the emergency psychology service of ANPAs in the several phases of emergencies, addressed to volunteers and disaster affected communities