离飓风哈维只有几周了, some 德州2021十大正规彩票app经纪人® in areas affected by the storm were already back at work meeting with clients, 演示文稿, 显示家庭, 帮助他们的社区. But no matter where you live, your work can put you in front of Texans deeply affected by Harvey.

If you’ve never received training on how to interact with people reeling from a natural disaster, 这可能是一个令人生畏的位置, but there are best practices you can keep in mind when reaching out to clients or others who’ve suffered because of Harvey.

院长火花, the disaster mental health lead for the American Red Cross relief operation in Texas, says people who’ve been through disasters often feel physically unsafe and uncertain about their future. “You’ve got to try and figure out how to make people feel safe,” he says.

One way to do that is to know what resources are available in your community, 据詹妮弗第一说, mental health program manager for the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at the University of Missouri. 那可能是找到物理避难所的地方, 精神卫生资源, 援助项目, 甚至是社区支持.

In addition to resources for parents who need strategies for relating to their children, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network offers training for non-mental health professionals who want to better help those who’ve experienced a natural disaster or another traumatic event:

  • Psychological First Aid walks participants through how to respond to people who’ve just been through a disaster
  • Skills for Psychological Recovery is centered around skills that survivors of traumatic events can use to manage stress and better cope with adversity.

有关这些培训的更多信息请访问 nctsn.org.

“当你和人们交谈时，想想我怎样才能促进安全? 我怎样才能提高舒适度? 我怎样才能将他们与长期帮助他们的资源联系起来?第一个说.

“让他们觉得自己已经有了某种控制力,斯帕克斯说, even if it’s something as simple as asking whether they’d like to drink water or iced tea. They may need guidance or help focusing, he says, but let them be the manager of their situation. “We need to empower them to make the decisions about their own life,斯帕克斯说.

行不通的策略

避免提及一线希望, 试着寻找光明的一面, 告诉他们冷静下来, 或者说很快就会好起来, 根据第一. 不要诋毁他们受灾难影响的感受, 不要告诉他们应该怎么想, 不要做出做不到的承诺, 火花说.

“跟随那个人的领导，”First说. Empathize with them—That sounds really hard—then check if they have people they can talk to, 如果不是, 什么样的支持或关系会让他们感到舒适.

建立社区联系

“What helps a lot of people are things like social connections,第一个说. “这类事件是集体经历的. 研究 shows that seeking out connections and searching out other people is one of the strongest predictors for recovery.”

That support could take the form of community events like dinners or one-on-one connections.

斯帕克斯说:“我到处都能看到‘坚强的休斯顿’。. “当你得到这种社区支持时，这很好. 它有助于经济复苏.”

灾难过后，人们往往会立即团结起来, 第一个说, but it’s important to continue to reach out to people once the initial period winds down and people go back to dealing with the individual effects.

当你和别人说话的时候，想想我怎样才能促进安全? 我怎样才能提高舒适度? 我怎样才能将他们与长期帮助他们的资源联系起来?

詹妮弗第一, mental health program manager for the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at the University of Missouri

First说，恢复是个人的过程. 对于一些, 参加体力劳动, 给人, 或者其他利他行为也会有所帮助. Inviting people you’ve developed a rapport with to do things can make them feel like a part of something.

火花说 that when he assess people for recovery he looks for whether they’re eating right, 足够的睡觉, 回到他们的日常生活, 而不是孤立自己.

During the first couple weeks after a disaster is when you see a lot of the reactions, 根据第一. “In the mental health world, we stress that those are normal given what’s happened,她说。. “If those reactions hang on past a few weeks and they’re interfering with a person’s daily life … that’s when it could potentially be a mental health problem.”

但斯帕克斯说，我们仍处于恢复过程的早期阶段.

Trying to get back to that normal state and routine is important, 第一个说. But sometimes people who are busy put mental health on the back burner and issues can hang on. “那么他们可能需要额外的支持,她说。, but a large part of the population will eventually return to their normal functioning state.

“大多数人都很有弹性，”斯帕克斯说.