Community information

 

Learn about preparing for disasters

Psychological preparation for natural disasters

This APS tip sheet outlines the importance of being psychologically prepared and provides the steps to take for psychological preparation when a natural disaster is threatening.

 

Preparing for bushfires

Don't panic: Be prepared

Helpful tips for being psychologically prepared as you get ready for the bushfire season.

Preparing children for the threat of bushfire: Information for parents and carers

This brochure provides ways of assisting parents and carers to help children manage their fears and to have a greater sense of being in control in threatening bushfire situations.

 

Preparing for cyclones

Don't panic: Be prepared

Helpful tips for being psychologically prepared as you get ready for the cyclone season

Preparing children for the threat of cyclone: Information for parents and carers

This brochure provides ways of assisting parents and carers to help children manage their fears and to have a greater sense of being in control in cyclone or warning situations.

 

Heatwave information

Extreme heat can be dangerous to our health, and it is important that we take care to look after ourselves and our family during a heatwave, like drinking plenty of water, staying out of the sun, cooling off with damp cloths around your neck, and looking out for neighbours or friends (particularly those who are elderly or unwell) who might not be coping so well.

The Red Cross has some additional useful practical tips for helping people to cope with hot weather here - http://www.redcross.org.au/prepare.aspx 

 

Recovery

3 level Framework of recovery

Following the 2009 Victorian bushfires, a best-practice framework to guide provision of support and mental health care to disaster affected communities was developed by a wide range of government and non-government stakeholders. The framework has three levels of support based on the level of distress experienced, and the timing of the intervention post disaster. 

Level 1 – Early response: advice and support

Level 1 refers to advice and simple practical and emotional support provided to affected individuals and communities in the days or weeks following a disaster.  Psychological First Aid (PFA) for individuals is a well-known example of this, but it can also take the form of support groups, community meetings, and other community development activities.

Level 2  – Simple psychological strategies

Level 2 refers to simple, brief and practical psychological strategies that can be taught to community members with more persistent mild to moderate mental health problems. Developed in the United States in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is a skills-based approach that assists individuals to better recover from the effects of disaster. Level 2 support can be provided by practitioners with basic counseling skills working in primary care, mental health and community-based settings.

Level 3 – Formal mental health interventions

Level 3 refers to formal evidence-based psychological and pharmacological interventions for people with more persistent and severe distress, including those with diagnosable mental health conditions.

Skills for Psychological Recovery

Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is an intermediate, secondary prevention model to teach people basic skills. For many people it will be enough. SPR was developed after Hurricane Katrina.  An Australian version was developed after the Victorian (2009) Black Saturday bushfires. Government funding enabled APS and ACPMH to offer SPR training to health practitioners across disaster affected areas in Victoria and Queensland following recent natural disaster events.

The skills included in SPR are:

  • Gathering information and prioritising assistance - Identify clients’ most pressing needs and concerns, and instances when referral is necessary.
  • Building problem-solving skills - Teach clients to break down problems into more manageable chunks, consider a range of ways of responding, and choose the best actions to take.
  • Promoting positive activities - Encourage people to plan and participate in positive, meaningful activities to help improve mood and regain a sense of control and normalcy.
  • Managing reactions - Teach calming skills, ways to put thoughts and feelings into words, and techniques to manage reactions to triggers or reminders of the disaster.
  • Promoting helpful thinking - Help people understand how thoughts influence their emotions, and how to replace their unhelpful thoughts with more helpful thoughts.
  • Rebuilding healthy social connections - Help people identify supportive individuals and groups in their network, then create a social support plan to access and/or offer support.
  • If SPR doesn’t help to alleviate distress as effectively as is needed, it is appropriate to refer for more intensive mental health intervention. Additionally, if serious issues are revealed in the initial assessment, immediate referral is required.

Articles on SPR can be found on the Psychosocial Support in Disasters web portal.

Articles on SPR http://www.psid.org.au/recovery

Understanding and managing psychological trauma

This APS tip sheet outlines the symptoms of psychological trauma and provides tips on how to manage it.


Recovery after bushfires

Looking after children who have been affected by bushfires: Guidelines for parents and caregivers

Children are not always able to express complex feelings in the same direct way that adults do and therefore do not often show the same reactions to stress as adults. It is therefore very important to look out for changes in children's behaviour that suggest they are unsettled or distressed.


Recovery after floods

Floods affect everyone in different ways. Some people are directly affected, family or friends or your community may have suffered significant losses, or you may have been even more indirectly affected by watching the events unfold in the media. But there is a lot that you can do to look after yourself and help with your recovery.

The following guideline provides some general advice to help people to look after themselves.

Looking after children who have been affected by floods: Guidelines for parents and caregivers

Children are not always able to express complex feelings in the same direct way that adults do and therefore do not often show the same reactions to stress as adults. It is therefore very important to look out for changes in children's behaviour that suggest they are unsettled or distressed.

 

Seeking further help

A qualified mental health professional such as a psychologist can help you to understand and deal with the thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated with the trauma of the bushfires. Speak to your GP about a referral to a psychologist or phone the APS Find a Psychologist service on 1800 333 497. Alternatively, you can locate a psychologist in your area by visiting the APS Find a Psychologist website.

find a psychologist

 

Additional resources for the community

Bushfire information package for women

Women's Health Victoria has put together a women's health information package and other resources to assist in the initial and ongoing stages of recovery for those affected by the Victorian bushfires and other disaster situations.

Red Cross resources for children

Includes Get ready! and After the emergency booklets

Preparedness and disaster planning

Resources from the Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network (ACATLGN).

Tips for recovering from disasters and other traumatic events

Tips from the American Psychological Association (APA).

 

Information for practitioners

 

APS guidelines, tip sheets and resources

APS Disaster Response Network (DRN)

The APS Disaster Response Network (DRN) is a national network of psychologists who have a special interest and expertise in working with individuals and communities affected by disasters and emergencies in Australia as well as those working to assist them.

Psychosocial Support in Disasters web portal

This web portal provides health professionals working with disaster-affected individuals and communities with a step-by-step guide to disaster response and the psychological implications at each stage from preparation through to response and recovery.

Psychological First Aid: An Australian Guide (2011) - APS and ARC joint publication

This guide was produced by the APS and the Australian Red Cross to provide an overview for people working in disaster preparedness, response and recovery about best-practice in psychological first aid following disasters and traumatic events.

APS Ethical Guidelines on co-ordinated disaster response, pro bono, or voluntary psychological services

APS Statement on the Role of Psychologists in International Emergencies

APS tip sheets

APS tip sheets inform clients about a range of psychological issues and how psychologists can help. They are a useful resource for private practitioners and other health professionals, especially GPs. The following tip sheets have been developed to assist individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.

Looking after children who have been affected by bushfires: Guidelines for parents and caregivers

Children are not always able to express complex feelings in the same direct way that adults do and therefore do not often show the same reactions to stress as adults. It is therefore very important to look out for changes in children's behaviour that suggest they are unsettled or distressed.

Guidelines for provision of psychological support to people affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires

This information sheet provides summary guidelines on the three levels of psychological support that can be offered to people affected by disasters such as the Victorian bushfires.

 

Additional resources for practitioners

Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide

Developed by the National Center for PTSD, PFA is an evidence-informed modular approach for assisting people in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism: to reduce initial distress, and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning.

Psychological first aid in schools

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) in the United States has recently released new resources on the use of Psychological First Aid in school settings. These resources are free and include an app that can be added to your smartphone.

Mental health and primary care resources

Developed by the Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network (ACATLGN, these guidelines were designed to assist general practitioners and health professionals working in primary care after the disaster of the Victorian bushfires. There are relevant to other natural disasters where there is where people are exposed to life-threatening stressors and losses.

Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Adults with Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health developed these guidelines in consultation with trauma experts from a range of disciplines, as well as people affected by trauma. These guidelines provide practical recommendations applicable in all healthcare settings.

IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC ) issues these guidelines to enable humanitarian actors to plan, establish and coordinate a set of minimum multi-sectoral responses to protect and improve people's mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in the midst of an emergency.

General references

Compiled list of general articles on response and recovery

 

APS media, publications and responses

 

APS presentations

2013

Presentation in Tasmania, February 14, 2013 (further information to follow).

2011

Queensland flood disaster recovery briefing presentation

2009

Victorian Black Saturday bushfire briefing presentation

 

APS media releases

January 2013

November 2012

October 2011

February 2011

January 2011

October 2010

April 2010

February 2010

December 2009

October 2009

September 2009

March 2009

 

InPsych articles

2011

Special report: Response and recovery after the floods

2010

2009

Special report - Recovery after trauma: The aftermath of the Victorian bushfires

 

APS submissions

2013

2012

2011