Managing the Psychological Impacts of Disasters for Emergency Management Workers & Victims will equip emergency workers with the skills they need to adequately deal with the effects of stress and other psychological issues both during and in the aftermath of a disaster or traumatic situation.

This two day interactive and in depth training seminar will use practical examples and case studies including acts of terrorism, natural disasters and more to clearly illustrate the impacts of stress on emergency workers and victims, and how it can be combated effectively.

Key learning objectives:

• Understanding and recognising the manifestations of stress.

• Understanding short and long term consequences of unresolved stress.

• A predictive model of the social dynamics of emergencies.

• Strategies for managing social and personal stress responses.

• Organisational policies to prevent stress and support recovery.

• Recognising and preventing vicarious trauma in emergency workers.

• Skills in psychological first aid and personal support for victims.

Your expert trainer is Rob Gordon, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist with twenty years’ experience in occupational stress and trauma in health, humanitarian, welfare, environment, emergency services and other government settings.  He is a consultant to a number of government departments and non-government and indigenous agencies and has extensive experience in community-based programs following stressful crises and emergencies and in treating groups and individuals suffering various forms of stress. 

Introductions and outline of workshop

Understanding the nature of stress & trauma for victims and emergency workers

The nature and effects of stress in its various forms

Stress and the Body

Psychological & social effects of stress states

• Impacts of stress on a personal functioning

- Perception

- Thinking

- Problem solving

- Emotions

- Planning

• Social consequences of stress in emergency situations

- Social relatedness

- Communications

- Assumptions, culture and values

- Effects on organisations and social systems

- Disruption of organisational mission and goals

Social & psychological impacts of emergencies

The community as the framework for emergency responses

Community Process in Emergencies and a Model of post emergency recovery:

• Emergency recovery and environmental health

• Phases of Emergency Recovery

• Warning and evacuation

• Impact and subsequent dynamics

• Strategies for anticipating and managing post disaster Community Process

Psychological responses of individuals and groups: Impact and recovery.

Trauma and stress in disrupted social and personal circumstances.

Acute responses to emergencies:

• Factors determining resilience and vulnerability

• Impact of emergencies

• Management of psychosocial impacts

• Personal support in the immediate aftermath

• Establishing a recovery environment

Practical tools for providing personal support

Psychological First Aid and early intervention for traumatised people.

Handling difficult contacts – establishing support systems.

Longer term recovery challenges

• The role of ongoing stress during recovery

• Posttraumatic stress as a chronic stressor

• Psychological impacts in the longer term

• Preventive strategies in recovery programs

• Developing recovery services.

Psychological impacts for emergency and recovery workers

Understanding high stress work settings.

Work stress in emergency and trauma contexts: Staying strong at the coalface

• Competing demands and the characteristics of emergency work

• Exposure to trauma and suffering

• Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout

• Systems and policies for protecting workers

• Management of worker responses

• Practical skills for staying strong at the coalface

Interventions and strategies for staff support and care

• CISM, debriefing and allied methods

• Peer support and social systems

• Psychological first aid

• Education and information

• Screening and monitoring

• Management support and in-agency recovery programs

• Counselling and other services

Personal skills and strategies for self care.

Organisational responses to stress, vicarious trauma and burnout

Staff issues for preparing and supporting emergency activations.

• Individual staff issues

• Identifying stressors

• Selection of staff

• Team considerations

• Leadership in an emergency context

• National/local staff issues

• Critical incident and stress management

• Organisational issues

Organisational Policies for Management of stress after an emergency or disaster

• Early detection of stress, stress audits and stress awareness

• Recovery from stress

• Principles of organisational stress prevention

• Initiating recovery after it is all over

Case studies and examples:

Rob will draw on over twenty years experience in all aspects of response to large and small emergencies to illustrate the ideas presented.  Practical learnings from natural disasters, civil emergencies, criminal events and workplace critical incidents will be provided.  These include:

New Zealand:

• Manawatu and Bay of Plenty Floods

 

Australia and other foreign countries:

• September 11, 2001

• Bali Bombings

• 2004 Asian Tsunami

• Bushfires

• Drought

• Massacres