The Dialogue: Stories From Disaster Behavioral Health Responders

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	Volume 10, Issue 2

	Download the Full Issue [PDF - 6.5 MB] We continue with this year's theme, "Response," by highlighting the work of disaster behavioral health responders. It is our hope that their stories from the field help you in your own planning, response, and recovery efforts. Special Feature: Working Together in the Field: Traditional and Disaster Behavioral Health Response to the Shooting of Greenland, New Hampshire, Police Chief and Officers, an interview with Paul Deignan, M.S.W., Disaster Behavioral Health Consultant/Trainer, and Don McCullough, M.S., CMHC We summarize an interview conducted with traditional and disaster behavioral health responders where they share their experiences responding to the fatal shooting of a police chief and the wounding of several other officers in a small, close-knit community. The Work of a Psychiatry Disaster Responder, by Margaret Tompsett, M.D., Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry A disaster psychiatrist discusses her experience responding to several large-scale events and the importance of understanding the difference between disaster response and the traditional tasks of one's professional discipline. West, Texas: Resiliency in Action, by Chance Freeman, Disaster Behavioral Health Services (DBHS) Branch Manager; Jennifer Reid, LMSW, DBHS Response Coordinator; Dana LaFayette, LPC, LP-S, LCDC, Director of Crisis Services, Heart of Texas Region Mental Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) Center; and Molly Howard, LMSW, Program Manager, Heart of Texas Region MHMR Center The authors describe the disaster behavioral health response to the fatal fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, and share how they worked tirelessly to help survivors and responders. Recommended Resources Understanding Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction: Tips for Disaster Responders This podcast can help disaster behavioral health professionals learn about the positive and negative effects of helping disaster survivors. The Behavioral Health Response to Mass Violence This podcast discusses the psychological responses to mass violence and suggests strategies and interventions to provide immediate support and mitigate long-term negative mental health consequences. Post-Disaster Retraumatization: Risk and Protective Factors This podcast describes the concepts and signs of retraumatization and associated risk and protective factors and highlights promising treatment strategies and tips for avoiding retraumatization. About The Dialogue The Dialogue, a quarterly technical assistance journal, is an arena for professionals in the disaster behavioral health field to share information, resources, trends, solutions to problems, and accomplishments. Read previous issues of The Dialogue.