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Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series Resource Center
The SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) provides various resources and useful information for those in the disaster behavioral health field.
All resources for which links are provided are in the public domain or have been authorized for noncommercial use. Hardcopies of some materials may be ordered. If you use content from resources in this collection in program materials, you should acknowledge the source of the materials. Nothing in these other than SAMHSA resources constitutes a direct or indirect endorsement by SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of any non-federal entity’s products, services, or policies.
Did you know you can download your search results? Simply apply search filters and then click on the Download Filtered Resources link to obtain a .csv file with the resources you have found, including each resource’s name, description, date, URL, and source.
Provided by the Institute for Public Health Practice at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, this 1-hour course uses scenarios to teach concepts of Psychological First Aid in responding to disasters. The course is designed to help public health professionals and others involved with post-disaster recovery to assess survivors and use mental health interventions to help stabilize survivors in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
This playlist from the Capacity Building Center for Tribes includes five recorded webinars focused on tribal trauma and resilience. Each webinar focuses on different factors that affect tribal mental and behavioral health, including protective community factors, historic trauma, trauma-informed child welfare, and secondary traumatic stress.
To support caregivers or others tending to children, this web page from SAMHSA explains the effects of traumatic events—such as natural disasters or community violence—on children. It provides a breakdown of possible reactions shown by children of different ages as well as tips for supporting children who have experienced traumatic stress.
This online article includes information on how a parent's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can affect his or her children. It describes some of the common child responses to those symptoms and offers guidance regarding what a parent should do when faced with this situation.
This video features Dr. Paramjit Joshi, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, who offers guidance for teachers and counselors in supporting children in processing and coping after a school shooting or other traumatic event.
This web page provides parents and caregivers with recommendations for supporting their child's return to school after experiencing a tragedy, which can include mass violence incidents. It includes guidance for supporting children's feelings, emphasizing school safety, and seeking further assistance if needed to ensure students' comfort and resilience.
This web page provides definitions of serious mental illness (SMI), serious emotional disturbance (SED), and substance use disorders. It also features links to additional information about mental illness, SMI, SED, and substance use disorders in the United States.
This web page provides an overview of the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and the risk factors that may make it more likely for children to develop PTSD. It also describes the signs of PTSD in children and adolescents and different techniques to treat PTSD.
This web page offers a collection of free, downloadable resources for adolescents and young adults focusing on substance misuse, coping with disasters, and other traumatic events. The highlighted resources are listed by age groups including middle school youth, high school youth, and college students.
This tip sheet defines historical trauma and describes impacts of historical trauma in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) cultures and communities. The tip sheet also provides tips to help responders prepare to support AI/AN communities that have been affected by disasters.
This tip sheet notes the diversity of Native American cultures in the United States, presents some general commonalities across many Native American cultures and societies, explains historical trauma and how tribes may think about and respond to disasters, and suggests ways to support tribal communities that have experienced disasters. References and related resources are listed.
This web page from the American Psychological Association provides a summary about trauma and its effects, and features related resources that explore the impact of traumatic events on the mental and physical health of individuals and communities. It includes links to articles, podcasts, and other resources that explore traumatic stress in response to disaster events and evidence-based practices for healthcare service professionals.
This recorded training features subject matter experts who explore the impacts of mass violence or domestic terrorism incidents on law enforcement officers. The training highlights the effect of vicarious trauma on first responders and provides strategies for organizations to support their personnel and mitigate the effects.
This web page focuses on SAMHSA's National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, which aims to improve treatment and services for youth and families who have experienced traumatic events. It explores childhood trauma and links to resources for parents and caregivers, educators, health professionals, and more.
This web page provides an overview of disasters, how they affect children, and how parents can offer support. It presents links to fact sheets, answers to parents' frequently asked questions, and policies and articles for clinicians. The web page also features information and links for finding help for a child or adolescent struggling with his or her disaster reactions.
This article, available both online and as an audio recording, shares the experiences of mental health professionals responding to multiple natural disasters. The article sheds light on the immense stress and personal and vicarious trauma disaster response teams may face.
This article from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health proposes a trauma-informed approach for healthcare practitioners unfamiliar with the effects disasters and trauma can have on individuals and communities. The resource prioritizes the needs of individuals affected by disasters and coping with traumatic stress to advise healthcare practices and avoid retraumatization.
This web page provides a thorough analysis of the trauma-informed care framework and its success in promoting the well-being of individuals with previous trauma. It includes a webinar exploring the do's and don'ts of using the framework and identifies six guiding principles to properly apply a trauma-informed approach and address changing needs related to identity and culture.
This resource collection from the Center for Health Care Strategies provides a detailed overview of trauma-informed care, its purpose, and its implementation in healthcare organizations. The collection includes web pages explaining the objectives of trauma-informed frameworks, possible benefits, and examples of different organizations highlighting their efforts and key program features to support trauma-informed principles.
This tip sheet provides strategies for parents and caregivers supporting children as they cope with collective traumas. The resource offers strategies for coping for both the affected adults and children in an effort to promote healthy healing and resilience.
The mission of the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, according to its website, is "to promote[s] state-of-the-science traumatic brain injury care from point-of-injury to reintegration for service members, veterans, and their families to prevent and mitigate consequences of mild to severe TBI [traumatic brain injury]."
The American Psychological Association provides an overview of disasters and their mental health impacts and presents links to articles on the impacts of a range of types of disasters. Also provided are links to news articles and related publications by the American Psychological Association.
This part of the website of the National Center for PTSD features materials for professionals to help them in working with older adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one possible consequence of disaster experiences. Resources include online information and courses about PTSD in older adults, PTSD that is co-occurring with other conditions that may arise in older adults, and prescribing practices for older veterans with PTSD.
The mission of the center is to build resilient communities by working with faith-based and community organizations. In collaboration with federal, state, and local partners, the center supports the DHS's strategy of sustainable risk management by building capacity and resiliency among faith-based and community organizations.