Article Published: 11/29/2023
Whether they are natural or man-made, disasters change the lives of many who experience them. Counselors serve as a vital part of disaster response and recovery. Counselors provide mental health services to all survivors affected by disasters—individuals, families, and their communities. The American Red Cross offers an avenue for counselors to assist in such situations. The mission of the Red Cross is to alleviate human suffering, protect life and health, and uphold human dignity, especially during armed conflicts and other emergencies.
This month we interviewed two counselors who have experience working with survivors in the aftermath of disasters. Counselors are exposed firsthand to the human challenges associated with disasters and are a source of support by helping survivors gain their resilience after a disaster.
Linda Diaz, PhD, NCC, CCMHC, LPC-S, is a former Disaster Mental Health Regional Lead Counselor for the American Red Cross in the Texas Gulf Coast Region (Houston/Beaumont). She provided mental health services in addition to aligning with disaster nurses for continuing life-sustaining issues, coordinating with the nurses for needed medical services, including initial medical assessments for needs and assisting with immediate needs such as medication and equipment for individuals and families living temporarily in shelters or outreach distribution.
“My responsibility was to offer and provide mental health services to post-disaster areas and to ensure appropriate referral resources were available for the safety and well-being of the survivors, as well as support to the Red Cross staff and the Disaster Mental Health (DMH) counselors assigned to the disaster," says Dr. Diaz.
Dr. Diaz managed the DMH counselors’ outreach of mental health services to help survivors. Often seen post-disaster were undiagnosed or misdiagnosed mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and the need to determine whether there were ongoing or existing poor coping skills using alcohol and drugs, violence, or hoarding, to name a few. Their lives were forever changed.
“The natural or man-made disruption affected their lives and imposed stressors and unforeseeable strained challenges,” Dr. Diaz says. “The aftermath of a disaster is accompanied by heightened stressors that unfold as counselors help survivors adjust to living in shelters. Survivors may be wandering in the shelters in mass populations in a state of shock and feeling alone. Survivors’ concerns are that they have little or no privacy, medications are lost, and there is the inconvenience of having to wait and replace medications and medical equipment (walkers/breathing devices/monitors). Many survivors and their families are grieving due to death, lost homes and property, lost personal belongings and cherished generational family heirlooms, or the inability to reunite with their families. Children and the sick are the most vulnerable. Counselors serve a valuable need, helping children understand why the disaster happened and what is going to happen to them, and recognizing that they are scared, frightened, and worried about their pets. Counselors make that human connection to help ameliorate their worries and offer hope. The counselor promotes and encourages empowerment and motivation to re-engage in rebuilding their lives.”
“Red Cross DMH counselors are especially utilized during the off-season (for weather-related natural disasters). Counselors volunteer with Services to Armed Forces (SAF) on pre-deployment preparedness missions and post-deployment reintegration, providing information through education and resources to help reunite families. SAF serves service members, military dependents, and families as part of the Red Cross.”
Military life and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) incidents experienced by the service member have a tremendous impact on their mental health.
The Red Cross recruits counselors from a pool of national/global and community counselors. Mental health volunteers may include psychiatrists, psychologists, school psychologists, registered nurses with psychiatric training and experience, social workers, and school counselors,” she says, adding that mental health counselors are recruited based on their license status.
Dr. Diaz recommends that counselors interested in volunteering understand that working with disaster survivors requires specific training that they will receive as a volunteer. Further, counselors must have an awareness and appreciation for cultural differences. Red Cross policy is to set aside your political or religious perspectives that may influence your ability to provide your services to disaster survivors.”
The nature of mental health counseling post-disaster mandates that self-care is even more essential.
“Counselors are exposed to many human and environmental elements of a disaster; listening to disaster stories originating from survivors and what they experienced may charge powerful emotions within the counselor,” Dr. Diaz says. “Vicarious or secondary trauma experiences can produce intrusive thoughts and nightmares, along with a strong human desire to help, and listening to their stories causes you to reflect on your own life experiences and traumas. The counselor will experience overexposure, compassion fatigue, and insomnia, and will need strong coping skills for resiliency promoting self-care (breathing, safe place/imagery relaxation techniques, reading, music, calling family members and friends), and the need to share what they have witnessed with other counselors or within a counseling group for support.”
Dr. Diaz recommends that counselors interested in learning more about volunteering opportunities start by contacting the American Red Cross chapter in their area. “Volunteers are always needed to help in shelters, food distribution, logistics, as drivers, and at off-site locations. The Red Cross will provide free training to help prepare you in the volunteering process.”
Theodore P. Remley, Jr., PhD, JD, MEd, EdS, NCC, LPC, is a professor in the Department of Counseling and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Holy Cross. Dr. Remley was a counselor educator in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where he still lives and works today. He agrees with Dr. Diaz’s recommendations for training provided by the American Red Cross
“I always recommend the Red Cross training for counselors who are interested in volunteering after disasters have occurred,” he says. “The Red Cross coordinates services and offers realistic and high-quality training.”
Interestingly, natural disasters not only change lives, but they can also change demographics over time, Dr. Remley says.
“The change in demographics after a natural disaster has occurred varies with the type of disaster and the location. For example, after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, 10 years later the population was smaller, older, more educated, and a bit poorer. In addition, the city became more Hispanic and Caucasian, and less African American. Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and floods change the demographics of cities and regions significantly.”
Counselors should bear in mind that individuals who have experienced a disaster may need food, shelter, and safety more than they need counseling immediately after a disaster has occurred before they can benefit from it, he says.
“In my opinion, counselors who provide counseling services to individuals after disasters have occurred must pay attention to the unique nature of the disaster and whether the survivors’ basic needs are being met,” he continues, “and should allow survivors to tell their stories.”
The following are some helpful resources for counselors interested in working with disaster survivors:
Dr. Mary Linda Diaz received her bachelor's degree in Psychology, Master's in Counseling, and PhD in Counselor Education with an emphasis in Psychology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She is in private practice in Corpus Christi and provides mental health services to adults with marital/couples issues, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, alcohol and drug addiction, and other behavioral disorders as well as supervision. Dr. Diaz is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).
Theodore P. Remley, Jr., PhD, JD, MEd, EdS, NCC, LPC, received a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Florida and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Louisiana and Mississippi, where he also holds the Supervisor credential. Dr. Remley also received a JD from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the Virginia and Florida bars. He is a full-time counseling faculty member at the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Remley has also served on counselor licensure boards in four states and is a former Executive Director of the American Counseling Association.
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