Healthcare

Mental Health

Public Health

 

Healthcare

Information on disaster preparedness from the American Academy of Pediatrics web site. (PDF)
This Centers for Disease Control web page provides information on Health Recommendations for Relief Workers Responding to Disasters. (PDF)

Centers for Disease Control's site for Emergency Preparedness and Response: This site is intended to increase the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
Disaster Reactions in Potential Risk Groups.  This 12-page section of SAMHSA’s Training Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters addresses reactions to disasters influenced by survivor’s age, cultural and ethnic background, socioeconomic status, pre-existing physical and psychosocial vulnerabilities.  (PDF)

Potential Risk Groups. This 5-page section of SAMHSA’s Training Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters identifies the potential risk groups that may have particular needs in a disaster area.  (PDF)

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?. This 3-page factsheet from the National Center for PTSD provides a basic overview of who can experience PTSD, typical symptomsin adults and children, and treatment options. (PDF)

This is a very helpful overview of what to do during disasters from Prepare.org that contains references to external links.(PDF)

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency coordinates and maintains disaster response facilities and procedures in the state.
Georgia911.com This is a very comprehensive and up-to-date site. If computer access is available during a disaster, one should go to this website first.
This is an excellent University of Washington/CDC on-line training module. (PDF)

Traumatic Incident Stress: Information for Emergency Response Workers.  This 4-Page factsheet from the CDC and NIOSH details typical emotional responses to stress. (PDF)

Disaster Response and Recovery Handbook for Mental Health Workers. This 113-page manual by Diane Myers, R.N., M.S.N. covers key concepts, planning, outreach, training, response and recovery. (PDF)

Providers Guide to Quality and Culture. This is a 2-page introduction to the website of Management Sciences for Health, an group dedicated to assisting health care organizations throughout the U.S. with providing high-quality, culturally competent services to multi-ethnic populations. (PDF)

Developing Cultural Competence in Disaster Mental Health Programs. This 4-page fact sheet from SAMHSA outlines guiding principles and recommendations for cultural competence for disaster crisis counseling programs. (PDF)

Culturally Competent: Disaster Nursing. This 5-page fact sheet from MinorityNurse.com draws upon lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina to make recommendations for culturally competent disaster nursing care. (PDF)

Interpersonal Skills Promoting Cultural Sensitivity. This 4-page factsheet from Dartmouth Medical Libraries covers interpersonal skills promoting cultural sensitivity, information for physicians on cultures, languages, culturally specific patient information, key associations, and teaching tools for medical professionals. (PDF) 

Standing Together: An Emergency Planning Guide for America’s Communities. This 114-page manual from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations addresses emergency management leadership and provides extensive community emergency planning guidelines. (PDF)

Disaster Psychiatry. This 2-page factsheet from the American Psychiatric Foundation provides a list of resources for psychiatrists treating disaster victims.  (PDF)

Disaster Preparedness: Is Your Unit Ready? This 7-page, post-9/11 article from the website of the Nephrology Nursing Journal reviews various issues that may arise for nurses during a disaster and promotes pre-disaster planning for dialysis units. (PDF)

This 1-page factsheet from the American Academy of Pediatrics invites pediatricians to become part of the provider network for the AAP CHILDisaster Network, which provides lists of qualified pediatricians who have agreed to be on-call for participating organizations during a disaster. (PDF)

Stress Management for Patient and Physician. This 16-page article from the Canadian Journal of Continuing Medical Education lists 10 ways for reducing stress that can be practical, beneficial, and which even busy physicians can implement in their patients’ and their own lives. (PDF)

Common Responses to Trauma & Coping Strategies.  This 3-page fact sheet from Patti Levin, LICSW, PsyD, covers the wide range of normal responses people may undergo following trauma. (PDF)

Coping with Disasters. This 3-page article from MedlinePlus.com provides a list of online resources for individuals coping with the aftereffects of trauma. (PDF)

Become a Survivor: How to Find Peace of Mind Following Life’s Traumas. This 3-page article by Dr. V. Alex Kehayan and Dr. Joseph C. Napoli, provides a list of coping strategies that individuals can pick and choose from according to their personal styles to help avoid long-term negative effects from experiencing trauma. (PDF)

Tips for Survivors: What to Expect in Your Personal, Family, Work and Personal Life.  This 3-page fact sheet from the US Department of Health and Human Services provides useful tips for identifying and managing stress. (PDF)

Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Families During Difficult Times: Supporting Families following a Disaster.  This 4-page fact sheet by Marta Stuart of the Arizona Cooperative Extension introduces information about symptoms of stress, and how individuals can effectively manage their stress. (PDF)

Selection, training and support of relief workers: an occupational health issue. This 5-page article by Maureen McCall and Peter Salama, published on the British Medical Journal’s website, reviews and calls for more research into stress-related illness in relief workers in complex humanitarian emergencies. (PDF)

 

Mental Health

This is an article titled “Roles of Psychiatrists on Multidisciplinary Mental Health Disaster Teams” by the American Psychiatric Association. (PDF)

This report by the National Association of Social Workers highlights research on types of disasters and their impacts on mental health. (PDF)

 This fact sheet contains a lot of the information found above and explains the role of mental health professionals in emergency situations. (PDF)

“Tips for Counseling” is an article with practical advice and strategies for disaster counseling. (PDF)

This page provides links to more resources, guides, and surveys relevant to cultural competency. (PDF)

This National Association of Social Workers document outlines the standards for cultural competence and explains how to reach the standards in practice. (PDF)

This site is a comprehensive guide for healthcare providers on taking cultural diversity into account when providing quality care. (PDF)

Part of SAMHSA’s cultural competency guide, this is a helpful checklist for professionals to use when ensuring that cultural diversity is accounted for. (PDF)

This is another guide for developing cultural competency. (PDF)

Here you’ll find a very helpful overview of what to do during disasters.  It contains references to external links. (PDF)

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency coordinates and maintains disaster response facilities and procedures in the State. (PDF)

This is a very comprehensive and up-to-date site that, if computer access is possible during a disaster, should be the first place to go. (PDF)

This pamphlet by the American Academy of Pediatrics gives information on disaster preparedness. Though pediatricians are the target audience, it has practical advice and suggestions for emergency situations. Topics include office preparedness, evacuation, transportation, communication, and insurance. (PDF)

This Center for Disease Control page assesses the health risks faced by emergency relief workers, including recommendations and precautions for avoiding health concerns.(PDF)

The Center for Disease Control’s site for Emergency Preparedness and Response focuses on increasing the nation’s awareness of emergency health threats and the public’s ability to prepare for and respond to them. (PDF)

This is the homepage for the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. It has fact sheets and resources covering all aspects of PTSD, including information geared specifically toward mental health care providers. (PDF)

This is part of SAMHSA’s “Guide to Managing Stress in Crisis Response Professions”. It lists, explains, and differentiates between common and extreme responses to stress.(PDF)

This guide lists some helpful stress management techniques that both you and your clients can use following a disaster. (PDF)

This is an annotated bibliography of disaster mental health resources. (PDF)

This is a PowerPoint presentation on the mental health consequences following the World Trade Center disaster. It outlines the immediate and long term responses to the event and the therapeutic interventions utilized as well as a summary of their effectiveness.

This FEMA fact sheet provides hints for recognizing stress and tips for relieving stress.(PDF)

This journal article examines research findings on the effects of stress and trauma on immune response and health behavior. (PDF)

This disaster resources website, by the University of Illinois, has information on preparing for disasters and coping in their aftermath. Click on “Disaster Resources” and “Information Resources” for access to fact sheets and relevant links. (PDF)

This guide lists ten helpful stress management techniques, some of which are found above, that both you and your clients can use following a disaster. (PDF)

This page lists the common physical and emotional responses to traumatic events and provides strategies for coping. (PDF)

This page, entitled “Coping With Disasters,” is a complete guide to understanding and managing post-disaster stress. It links to helpful fact sheets from organizations such as the National Center for PTSD, the Center for Mental Health Services, and FEMA. (PDF)

This article, entitled “Become a Survivor: How to Find Peace of Mind Following Life’s Traumas,” provides strategies for healing, relieving stress, and obtaining a healthy outlook after traumatic events. (PDF)

This SAMHSA pamphlet addresses multiple aspects of life after a disaster and provides tips on dealing with stress, changes within the self and within relationships, as well as financial worries. (PDF)

This page provides an in-depth view on different levels of stress and practical coping strategies that apply to various aspects of everyday living. (PDF)

This fact sheet goes over the common and severe mental health reactions following disasters and assesses the risk factors that contribute to severe reactions. (PDF)

This page has links to resources on posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic stress, and responses to disasters. Some of the listed resources specifically address traumatic stress in children. (PDF)

Part of SAMHSA’s Training Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers, this section explains how various age, socioeconomic, and ethnic groups react to disasters and assesses each group’s risks for long-term mental health implications. (PDF)

This fact sheet by the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder provides a general overview of PTSD, including a summary of its causes, symptoms, and treatment. (PDF)

This fact sheet gives more specific descriptions of the symptoms of PTSD as categorized by reliving, avoidance, and arousal. (PDF)

This page has an annotated list of reference guides and articles on the treatment of PTSD. (PDF)

This is the homepage for the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care, funded by SAMHSA. The Center’s goal is to provide training in the support and empowerment of trauma survivors. On the left-hand side of the page, you can access resources on trauma and trauma-informed care. (PDF)

This page provides an overview of trauma, its causes, and coping strategies. There is also a section that specifically addresses PTSD. (PDF)

This is the American Psychological Association’s website on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Within the site are general resources on PTSD, as well as the latest findings, research, and press releases concerning PTSD. (PDF)

This page has four different screening tools that can be helpful in the assessment of PTSD. Besides the Primary Care Screen, the other screens, or checklists, are targeted either toward civilians, military personnel, or specific stressors. (PDF)

Disaster Mental Health Training ranges from on-line modules like those offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Training (PDF)
Training Brochure (PDF)
Training Courses (PDF)

In addition, there are certificate programs and doctoral degrees such as those offered by the University of South Dakota Disaster Mental Health Institute. (saved as USK Mental Health Institute).(PDF)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers an excellent training manual for mental health professionals. (PDF)

The Georgia Department of Human Resources training can be found on the “DHR Training” fact sheet.(PDF)

Field Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters. This field manual is intended for mental health workers and other human service providers who assist survivors following a disaster. This pocket reference provides the basics of disaster mental health, with numerous specific and practical suggestions for workers. (PDF)

Emotional and Spiritual Care, An Introduction on Basic Concepts. This 40-page document is from the Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and includes information on the emotional and spiritual impact of disaster, resources, crisis intervention, and self-care.  (PDF)

Developing Cultural Competence in Disaster Mental Health Programs.
Highlights important common issues relating to cultural competence and to disaster mental health. Disaster mental health providers and workers can use and adapt the guidelines set forth in this document to meet the unique characteristics of individuals and communities affected directly or indirectly by a full range of natural and human-made disasters. (PDF)

Crisis Counseling Programs for the Rural Community.  The goal of this publication is to improve crisis counseling services for rural populations following disaster. Determining the factors that account for the uniqueness of rural populations and communities and how those factors affect the implementation of disaster crisis counseling services are the central issues of this publication. (PDF)

Psychosocial issues for children and families in disasters: A Guide For the Primary Care Physician. This 22-page article from the Workgroup on Disaster of the American Academy of Pediatrics  represents a collaborative effort between the Federal Center for Mental Health and the AAP to enhance services to individuals and families following a disaster. (PDF)

Children’s responses to terrorism. This 8-page article from the National Association of Social Workers was published in the wake of 9/11 to assist social workers in dealing with children who are the victims of a disaster. (PDF)

Psychosocial Treatment of Disaster Related Mental Health Problems: A Fact Sheet for Providers. This 2-page factsheet from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the national Center for PTSD reviews recommended interventions for individuals experiencing normal stress reactions following a disaster. (PDF)

Psychological First-Aid: How You Can Support Well-Being in Disaster Victims. This 1-page factsheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress provides a quick summary of recommended psychological first aid to create and sustain and environment of safety, calm, connectedness, empowerment and hopefulness. (PDF)

Guidelines on Notifying Families of Dead or Missing Loved Ones. This 2-page factsheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress provides general guidelines for those assisting local and national authorities in notifying families following mass death.  (PDF)

Funerals and Memorials: A Part of Recovery. This 1-page factsheet from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress covers important elements of most funerals and memorials. (PDF)

Coping with Loss and Grief . This 2-page article covers important aspects of the grieving process.(PDF)

Helping Families Deal With the Stress of Relocation After a Disaster. This 9-page handout from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry includes basic information about recognizing signs of stress and advice on helping the young, the elderly, families, and various age groups deal with relocation stress following a disaster.  (PDF)

Fostering Resilience in Response to Terrorism. This 2-page factsheet from the American Psychological Organization Online lists the nine available fact sheets produced by the APA’s Task Force on Fostering Resilience in Response to Terrorism which are intended to assist psychologists in fostering resilience in a wide variety of populations. (PDF)

International Trauma Studies Program. The International Trauma Studies Program iscommitted to enhancing the natural resilience and coping capacities in individuals, families, and communities that have endured and/or are threatened by traumatic events -- domestic and political violence, war and natural disaster.  ITSP pursues its mission through providing professional training, conducting innovative research, offering technical assistance to international organizations, and helping build a global learning community in mental health and human rights.  (PDF)

Training Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters. This training manual explains how survivors respond to, and recover from, disasters and highlights the importance of tailoring disaster response to individual communities and populations. Intended for use by instructors, it describes effective interventions for responding to disasters and strategies for stress prevention and management among mental health and human service workers. (PDF)

Psychological First Aid Manual Field Operations Guide. This 47-page Manual from the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress’s Terrorism and Disaster Branch and the National Center for PTSD provides guidelines and strategies for mental health specialists, including first responder teams, incident command systems, primary and emergency health care providers, school crisis response teams, faith-based organizations, Community Emergency Reponse Team, Medical Reserve Corps, Citizen Corps, and other disaster relief organizations assisting disaster victims. (PDF)

Red Cross Offers Psychosocial Support to Earthquake Victims. This four-page article by Bonnie Gillespie featured on the American Red Cross website relates the psychological first aid measures taken by mental health professionals working with Tsunami-related earthquake victims in Indonesia. (PDF)

Disaster Mental Health Institute Academic Programs.  This article from the website of the University of South Dakota details the different academic programs offered by its Disaster Mental Health Institute.  (PDF)

Common Misconceptions about Disaster: Panic, “the Disaster Syndrome”, and Looting. This 42-page chapter from M Leary’s book The First 72 Hours: A Commmunity Approach to Disaster Preparedness focuses on lessons learned from primarily domestic disasters in the interest of preventing dysfunctional disaster planning and response. (PDF)

Guilt Following Traumatic Events. This 15-page paper by Kathleen Nader, D.S.W, published after the events of 9/11, is a discussion of the kinds of guilt that may occur following a traumatic event. (PDF)

Disaster Mental Health Handouts. This 20-page article from Disaster Mental Health’s Trauma Information Pages lists useful handouts and materials from various sources categorized into material for Adult Victims, Families and Child Victims, and Disaster Workers and Their Familes.   (PDF)

Mental Health and Mass Violence: Evidence-based Intervention for Victims/Survivors of Mass Violence. This 123-page manual from the Departments of Justice, Defense, Veterans’ Affairs, and Health and Human Services and the American Red Cross is a report the results of a workshop  to reach consensuses on best practices for victims and survivors of mass violence. (PDF)

Mental Health in Emergencies: Mental and Social Aspects of Health of Populations Exposed to Extreme Stressors. This 8-page report from the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence of the World Health Organization covers the department’s current positions on this topic. (PDF)

Disaster Psychiatry Handbook. This 56-page handbook from the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster contains a variety of  articles by different authors on topics including the Oklahoma City bombing recovery effort, establishing liaisons before disaster strikes, and cultural, ethnic, medicolegal and ethical issues in disaster psychiatry. (PDF)

Coping with Disasters: A Guidebook for Psychosocial Intervention. This 104-page manual by John H. Ehrenreich, PhD, reviews psychological consequences of disaster and disaster’s effects on specific groups and establishes principles of intervention following disaster and techniques of psychosocial intervention. (PDF)

Trauma Response Guide. This manual was originally written for people working in the field with women survivors of rape in Bosnia, but it can be used more broadly as a guide for helping anyone of either gender who has survived any kind of trauma. Since it is written from afar and based on experiences similar to but not the same as the ones you are dealing with, please use what is useful or helpful and ignore what is irrelevant or wrong for your circumstances, trusting more in your judgment and intuition than in anything contained herein. (PDF)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Response Guides.  This 2-page factsheet by David V. Baldwin, Phd for the Trauma Information Pages lists important resources for clinicians dealing with patients in crisis. (PDF)

“Pastoral Crisis Intervention”: Towards a Definition. Pastoral Crisis Intervention integrates psychological crisis intervention with pastoral care. This 3-page article by George S. Everly, Phd, examines the widely used definitions of both domains and further seeks to elucidate the foundations of functional integration. (PDF)

Resilience a comprehensive website discussing resiliency, its importance, and ways to foster resiliency in your own life. (PDF)

Introduction to Resiliency. This 10-page paper by Katie Frey, Phd, reviews resiliency-promoting factors for children inside the home, outside of the home, and at school. (PDF)

The Principles Underlying Life Experience: The Beauty of Simplicity. This 13-page paper by Judith A. Sedgeman, M.A. demonstrates the simplicity and grace of the three principles of mind, thought and consciousness and their importance in achieving well-being.   (PDF)

Health Realization: an Innate Resiliency Paradigm for School Psychology. This 34-page paper  by Roger C. Mills, PhD, and Rita Shuford, PhD,  presents findings regarding the role of youth’s moment to moment thinking and state of mind in determining perception and discoveries about youth’s innate resiliency and how these empower youth to regain natural well-being, self motivation and healthy thinking. (PDF)

A Framework for Practice: Tapping Innate Resilience. This 8-page University of Minnesota newsletter article by Bonnie Benard and Cathy Marshall describes resilience research as providing a new paradigm for practice for all working with youth in education, youth development and human services. The article covers how to tap resiliency and create conditions that empower youth to discover their own resilience. (PDF)

Talking with Children When the Talking Gets Touch. Useful 2-page factsheet from SupportOfficer.org for supporting children through traumatic events. (PDF)

This American Psychological Association fact sheet, entitled “Fostering Resilience in Response to Terrorism Among Mental Health Workers,” focuses on vicarious traumatization and secondary traumatic stress. It goes over the signs of secondary stress and provides tips for coping. (pdf)
Entitled “Secondary Stress and the Professional Helper,” this is another article on secondary stress. It provides another perspective and explains the causes and impact of stress. (PDF)
Unlike the previous two articles, this one titled “Secondary Traumatization in Mental Health Care Providers,” focuses on research findings related to secondary traumatization, including a literature review. It also discusses the assessment of stress in mental health care providers and the implications of stress on training and clinical practice. (PDF)

This article defines and explains compassion fatigue and coping strategies. (PDF)

This article is also on compassion fatigue. It is extremely helpful in that it lists the symptoms and relates through examples and personal stories. (PDF)

This fact sheet from the National Center for PTSD explains the importance of understanding secondary stress and the mental health implications mental health care providers face. (PDF)
This is a fact sheet with data, statistics, and a literature review on substance abuse following disasters. (PDF)

This is a thorough article that explains stress, PTSD, and risk factors for drug and alcohol abuse. It also lists strategies for prevention and intervention. (PDF)

This article, targeted toward social workers, covers the legal requirements for disaster volunteering on the federal and state levels. It provides an overview on disaster relief, licensing, liability, and confidentiality. (PDF)

Titled “Standing Together,” this is a guide to disaster planning for the entire community. (PDF)

This pamphlet by the American Academy of Pediatrics gives information on disaster preparedness. Though pediatricians are the target audience, it has practical advice and suggestions on preparing for and providing aid during emergency situations. Topics include office preparedness, evacuation, transportation, communication, and insurance.(PDF)

The National Board for Certified Counselors website has a list of resources for professionals who wish to volunteer in the aftermath of disasters. (PDF)

The American Academy of Pediatrician’s CHILDisaster Network is made up of health care professionals who volunteer in disaster relief on short-term notice. This webpage provides detailed information on applying for and participating in the network. (PDF)

This article comprehensively outlines the phases of disaster planning and the factors that need to be taken into account during the planning process. (PDF)

The Center for Disease Control's web page for disaster preparedness covers the materials that might be beneficial in a disaster. This article addresses responses to disasters and the phases of recovery. (PDF)

This page lists, describes, and links to numerous domestic and international organizations and agencies that work in disaster relief. (PDF)

Titled “Standing Together,” this is a guide to disaster planning for the entire community. (PDF)
This pamphlet by the American Psychiatric Association has practical and useful information on creating and implementing a disaster plan. (PDF)

This is a lengthy, but thorough, article titled “Disaster Preparedness: Is Your Unit Ready.” Although focused specifically on hospital dialysis units, the aspects of disaster planning it addresses apply to the general community as well. (PDF)

This article comprehensively outlines the phases of disaster planning and the factors that need to be taken into account during the planning process. (PDF)

The Center for Disease Control's web page for disaster preparedness covers the materials that might be beneficial in a disaster. This article addresses responses to disasters and the phases of recovery. (PDF)

This information sheet for emergency response workers prepared by the CDC covers the symptoms of stress and provides tips (some of which are above) for self-care on site and at home. (PDF)

This is a comprehensive handbook for mental health professionals that encompasses all aspects of disaster relief. (PDF)

This SAMHSA fact sheet, titled “Tips for Managing and Preventing Stress,” explains stress reactions and ways of managing them. (PDF)

This pamphlet by the American Psychological Association, titled “Road to Resilience,” is a great guide that introduces resiliency, how it is developed, and strategies for developing it. (PDF)

This website on resiliency has a Resiliency Quiz that presents the principles behind resiliency, assesses individual factors that contribute to resiliency, and gives tips on building resiliency. The site also has literature that can be ordered and a resources page with links to relevant outside articles. (PDF)

This is an article reporting the findings of research conducted at the Illinois Bell Telephone company in relation to resiliency of people who work in highly stressful work conditions. The study found that certain individuals are able to thrive despite adversity, leading to the understanding of the set of principles that operate behind resiliency, or “hardiness.” (PDF)

This is a PDF version of the fact sheet “Coping with Disaster: Returning Home from a Disaster Assignment.” It addresses much of the topics found above. (PDF)

This is an article from the British Medical Journal, titled “Selection, Training, and Support of Relief Workers: An Occupational Health Issue,” that cites research findings on the mental health implications for relief workers during and after disasters. It addresses a need for and encourages increased training and awareness in stress management, self-care, and resiliency. (PDF)

Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide, 2nd Edition.  This 60-page Manual from the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress’s Terrorism and Disaster Branch and the National Center for PTSD provides guidelines and strategies for mental health specialists, including first responder teams, incident command systems, primary and emergency health care providers, school crisis response teams, faith-based organizations, Community Emergency Reponse Team, Medical Reserve Corps, Citizen Corps, and other disaster relief organizations assisting disaster victims. (PDF)

 

Public Health

Tips for Managing and Preventing Stress: A Guide for Emergency and Public Safety Workers: This 3 page pdf by SAMHSA focuses mostly on stress prevention and management for individual public safety workers, as well as the role of the agency or organization in accomplishing the two aforementioned goals.

Critical Incidents: Myths and Realities: This article from PoliceOne.com does a nice job of dispelling some of the more common misconceptions about the psychological impact of disasters.

 Disaster Mental Health Primer: Key Principles, Issues and Questions - essential information from the Centers for Disease Control’s Emergency Preparedness and Response division.

Sesame Street’s Initiatives on Emotional Wellbeing: covers how traumatic stress impacts children, emergency preparedness and recovering from a natural disaster. (PDF)

The American Red Cross: Preparing and Getting Trained has comprehensive information for the public on their website regarding disaster preparedness for home, workplace and schools. (PDF)

The American Red Cross site allows access to a wide range of preparedness information (PDF)

 Georgia911.org: Emergencies and Threats: Georgia’s Disaster and Emergency website has an Emergencies and Threats section covering preparedness for and response to a comprehensive range of natural and man-made disasters and emergencies. (PDF)

The Georgia Public Safety Training Center offers classes to prepare public safety responders, supervisors and administrators for disaster operations. (PDF)

National Incident Management System Incident Command System (NIMS ICS) (PDF) conducts training that emphasizes coordination among agencies.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute (PDF) offers disaster training, both online (PDF) and at their facility (PDF).

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute’s College List - links to colleges, universities and institutions offering accredited/certified emergency and disaster management courses and related graduate and undergraduate degree programs. (PDF)

Disaster Mental Health For Responders: Key Principles, Issues and Questions contains essential information from the Centers for Disease Control’s Emergency Preparedness and Response division.  (PDF)

What Are the Traumatic Effects of Terrorism? is an informative fact sheet from the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PDF)

Comprehensive list of FEMA online courses (PDF)

Brochure with information about FEMA’s independent study program (PDF)

List of articles on dispatcher stress from Headsets911.com (PDF)

Article from the American Psychological Association called Mind/Body/Health; The Effects of Traumatic Stress. It discusses how stress can impact all facets of one's existence. (PDF)

Article called Incidents Most Likely to Traumatize Rescue Workers. It discusses the issue in a way that is specific to public safety personnel (PDF).

PoliceOne.com’s list of physical and mental fitness articles (PDF)

Article from Firehouse.com called Firefighter’s Mental Health (PDF)

Stress Related issues/coping resources

National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder offers an abundance of educative resources that address some of the mental health concerns faced by public safety personnel. (PDF)

This resource is titled "A Guide to Managing Stress in Crisis Response Professions". It gives guidance for how to recognize common stress reactions as well as symptomatic ones. (PDF)

Here are some specific techniques for individual stress management (PDF)

This gives some of FEMA’s reccomendations for coping with disaster stress (PDF)

This site offers information on disaster stress in a way that is specific to public safety personnel. (PDF)

Here are some recommendations from FEMA on how public safety personnel can minimize the harmful effects of stress. It's called Tips for Managing and Preventing Stress: A Guide for Emergency and Disaster Response Workers. (PDF)

The Center for Disease Control offers their Disaster Mental Health Primer as an excellent guide for understanding how disasters impact individuals and communities.

This resource has some good self-care recommendations for public safety personnel. It's called Self Care for Crisis Response Professions. (PDF)

Discussion of secondary stress, titled Secondary stress and the professional helper is wonderfully comprehensive and informative. (PDF)

Discussion of compassion fatigue, which is a potential problem for anyone working with disaster victims. (PDF)

Resource is titled Working with Trauma Survivors: What Workers Need to Know. It has lots of good information for anyone working in the impacted environment. (PDF)

This article examines some of the difficulties that public safety personnel often face after disasters, and gives some suggestions for alleviating them. (PDF)

Collection of articles related to police, stress, and suicides. Some were written by mental health professionals who used to be cops.(PDF)

Cornell University conducted a study on stress and related issues among those NYC firefighters who were present during post-9-11-01 rescue/relief operations. Here is a discussion of the findings. (PDF)

This site examines stress among the various public safety fields. It does a good job of differentiating among the specific types of stress faced by each of the various public safety fields. (PDF)

This resource from the American Psychological Association gives recommendations for ways to build resilience. (PDF)

What is resilience? Here's a discussion of that question from the American Psychological Association.  (PDF)

This is a case example of how psychological hardiness can be an asset during difficult times. (PDF)

The American Psychological Association talks about what past disasters have taught us about building resilience. (PDF)