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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.
This web page explores the impacts working with disaster survivors may have on rescue workers, volunteers, healthcare professionals, and journalists and provides strategies for resilience and self-care. It explores tips for avoiding retraumatization of people receiving services and discusses the importance of professional wellness, noting possibilities for burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization.
This web page offers information on the warning signs of emotional distress after an individual has experienced a natural or human-caused disaster. Warning signs are identified, and the page includes links to information about populations at greater risk and suggestions for coping with traumatic events and disasters.
This web page summarizes the effects disasters and traumatic events can have on individuals and provides strategies for relieving and addressing stress. It links to resources designed to support coping with mass violence, resources to support children and families, and other tips for disaster survivors.
This web page explains that responders face heightened risk of mental illness and substance use disorders due to the nature of their work. It identifies signs of stress; ways to manage stress; and related resources, including online trainings and tip sheets.
This free online course is designed to help first responders cope with the opioid overdose crisis. The course highlights the mental and physical stressors first responders face due to the crisis, as well as coping and stress management strategies and resources.
Designed for law enforcement officers, this free online course describes common stressors in the line of duty and identifies ways to manage stress. The course highlights signs and symptoms of stress, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts that law enforcement officers may notice in themselves or their coworkers. It also provides information on where and how to seek additional help.
This free, 1-hour online course for fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel provides information on stressors and behavioral health issues and conditions that are more common in fire and EMS. It also covers techniques for healthy coping and stress management.
At this web page, DHS details First Responder Capability, a program dedicated to providing first responders with technical assistance and inventive solutions to challenges caused by the nature of their jobs. The web page provides information on grants and training, fact sheets, and additional topical research and resources.
This tip sheet describes some of the challenges involved in disaster response work and how these challenges may make responders more vulnerable to substance misuse. It lists signs of substance misuse, suggests ways to address substance misuse issues in yourself or someone you care about, and identifies resources for additional support.
This tip sheet describes aspects of the transition families go through when a member returns home after a disaster deployment. It also suggests ways that family members other than the responder can navigate the transition and support the responder in coping with the return home.
This page from the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center emphasizes the importance of stress management for responders so they can stay fit to serve disaster-affected communities. The page presents key concepts of disaster behavioral health, encourages responders to deploy as part of an integrated response system and team, and highlights training available to prepare for deployment.
This resource provides guidance for preventing and managing stress before, during, and after a disaster response assignment. It explores signs of stress and highlights tips individuals can use throughout disaster response and recovery to increase resilience.
This web page details the collaborative National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and International Association of Fire Fighters Emergency Responder Training Program, tailored to address the occupational safety and behavioral health needs of emergency responders working in fire departments across the nation. The web page provides additional details on the importance of firefighting training.
The ERHMS™ framework provides ideas for protecting disaster and emergency responders in an emergency of any size and in any setting. Designed for incident command staff members, leaders in response organizations, healthcare professionals, and responders themselves, the framework can be used to develop and implement a plan for monitoring and surveillance of responder health before, during, and after deployment.
This web page provides information for people who are traveling out of the United States to support individuals and communities, including those that have been affected by disasters. It suggests steps for humanitarian aid workers to take before, during, and after travel to protect their health.
This guide provides insights and recommendations for disaster responders and first responders, assisting them in effectively handling stress in crisis response situations. It outlines the physiological impact of stress and offers suggestions for both individuals and organizations to encourage and participate in stress management practices.
This online resource notes the importance of resilience in coping with the stress of disaster response. It defines and describes individual resilience and lists ways for responders to build resilience before, during, and after deployment.
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 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 publication presents strategies and actions that have proven successful for police departments developing and improving wellness programs. As such, it offers guidance for police department wellness programs in providing and improving services. Suggestions relate to needs assessment, training, peer support and employee assistance programs, and increasing participation in wellness programs.
This report describes how law enforcement departments and offices responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in its first year (March 2020 through March 2021). It features information and key takeaways for readers to use to prepare for and respond to future public health emergencies. Although this report was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, it includes information that will be helpful in the event of future pandemics.
This guide provides First Responders agencies with the steps to follow to ensure good health for their workforce. The authors offer an overview of occupational health and safety, review comprehensive occupational health and safety programs, discuss assessing current efforts, and present challenges and provide recommendations for overcoming them.
This archived webinar highlights resources for responders in supporting disaster-affected communities. Resources include the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center, the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline, and Psychological First Aid (PFA). The webinar offers an overview of PFA, including its background, foundational principles, and core actions.
Provided for healthcare professionals and others responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, this hour-long webinar recording defines burnout, compassion fatigue, moral injury, and resilience. It covers ways to manage burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury and to increase resilience. Although this webinar was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, it includes information that will be helpful in the event of future pandemics.
This free, on-demand online course describes Stress First Aid and prepares fire, emergency medical services, and rescue personnel to use this technique, which includes several actions responders can use to manage stress for themselves and their teams. While the course is available free of charge, people need to set up a free account with the Fire Hero Learning Network website to access it.