Mental health relief efforts often overlooked in wake of disasters

New issue of the Counseling Psychologist discusses contributions of counseling psychologists to disaster research and response

Los Angeles, CA (October 19, 2011) Recent events such as the ten-year commemoration of September 11th just weeks ago, Hurricane Irene striking the east coast this past summer, three months of oil spills off of the Gulf Coast a year ago, and the tragic earthquakes that struck Chile and Haiti in early 2010, are constant reminders that tragedy and catastrophe can occur at any moment. But what kind of effects do these devastating disasters have on those involved and what can counselors and psychologists do to help them?

A new issue of The Counseling Psychologist (published by SAGE) titled "Counseling Psychology and Large-Scale Disasters, Catastrophes, and Traumas: Opportunities for Growth," discusses past efforts by mental health professionals in responding to international disasters, current research endeavors, and training and intervention programs that can be implemented at a global level in the future.

"Disasters affect individuals, families, communities, work places, and disaster responders. Thus, they require a multisystem analysis and response, which counseling psychologists can provide," wrote Sue C. Jacobs, Mark M. Leach, and Lawrence H. Gerstein, authors of the introductory article, "Introduction and Overview: Counseling Psychologists' Roles, Training, and Research Contributions to Large-Scale Disasters." "

Following Hurricane Katrina's destructive assault on the Gulf Coast in 2005, a group of psychologists came together to form the Special Task Group (STG) in order to encourage and support students and faculty from counseling psychology programs in their efforts to organize mental health relief efforts for those affected by the disaster. After the effects of the hurricane lessened, members of the STG found that they needed a way to discuss what they learned from the experience as well as what they could do to improve their services when disasters occurred in the future.

Defining disasters as natural disasters, human made disasters, and war and genocide, the November 2011 edition of The Counseling Psychologist reflects this proactive and systematic attempt to organize and prepare psychologists as they help those affected by traumatic events on their long road to recovery.

Jacobs, Leach, and Gerstein wrote, "As we discussed this contribution it became blatantly clear that Hurricane Katrina was just the latest in a series of disasters that had widespread effects. We decided, therefore, to invite other counseling psychologists with appropriate expertise to be part of this major contribution"

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The introduction written by the co-editors is available free for a limited time at: http://tcp.sagepub.com/content/39/8/1070.full.pdf+html.

Editor Nadya Fouad interviews contributors Sue C. Jacobs, Mary Ann Hoffman and Sharon L. Bowman in a supplemental podcast available at:http://tcp.sagepub.com/content/39/8/1070/suppl/DC1

"Counseling Psychology and Large-Scale Disasters, Catastrophes, and Traumas: Opportunities for Growth" features the following contributions:

"Introduction and Overview: Counseling Psychologists' Roles, Training, and Research Contributions to Large-Scale Disasters" by Sue C. Jacobs, Mark M. Leach, and Lawrence H. Gerstein
"A Biological Model of Mass Trauma: Individual, Community, and Societal Effects" by Mary Ann Hoffman and Theresa Kruczek
"Ecologically Based, Culturally Concordant Responding Following Disasters: The Counseling Psychologists Role" by Arnold R. Spokane, Arpana G. Inman, Ryan D. Weatherford, Anju Kaduvettoor Davidson, and Rebecca Straw
"Training and Practice in Trauma, Catastrophes, and Disaster Counseling" by Sharon L. Bowman and Gargi Roysircar

For media to receive a copy of any of the articles listed above, please contact Ashley Loar at ashley.loar@sagepub.com.

The Counseling Psychologist (TCP) focuses on timely topics in such diverse areas as counseling HIV-infected clients, counseling lesbian and gay clients, the counseling relationship, cross-cultural counseling, delayed memory, debate ethics, multicultural training supervision, victimization, and white racial identity. http://tcp.sagepub.com/

Impact Factor: 1.878
Ranked: 19 out of 67 in Applied Psychology
Source: 2010 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2011)

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com

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