green cross project: A model for providing emergency mental-health aid after September 11, The

Phi Kappa Phi Forum, Spring 2002 by Figley, Charles R, Figley, Kathleen Regan

4. Why have I (we) acted as I (we) have since the disaster? This is an effort to self-assess, to determine whether what is being experienced is cause for alarm and requires the help of others. It also suggests the need for mastery of what may be described as being obsessed with the traumatic event. GCP service providers offer a wide variety and a large number of public-education sessions that discuss the immediate and long-term psychosocial consequences and opportunities following dangerous and horrible events. These sessions address not only how to handle events as a survivor, but also how to help friends and family to evaluate what are normal reactions and to cope with those that require more attention and perhaps professional assistance.

5. Will I (we) be able to cope if this disaster happens again? This is the most fundamental of questions. It is an indication of whether or how much the survivor has learned from the trauma and its wake. The answer to this and the other questions forms the survivor's "healing theory" (Figley, 1985; 1989) and enables the survivor to move on in his or her life and let go of the emotional reactions associated with the memories. This last question is the most challenging for GCP service providers because only time and lots of discussion and processing enable survivors to develop their own healing theory.

The GCP responds to requests from individuals, organizations, and other entities after a traumatic event. A request can include any or all of the following:

1. Crisis Assistance and Counseling (helping those in shock get back on their feet and access their natural coping methods and resources).

2. Assessment and Referral Services (identifying who is recovering properly from the traumatic event, who is not, why they are not recovering, and what additional or other services are needed when and by whom).

3. Orientation and Consultation to Management (educating management about the immediate, week-to-week, and long-term consequences of traumatic events for individuals, work groups, families, and larger systems).

4. Training, Education, and Certification (preparing management, human resources, employee-assistance professionals, and service providers with sufficient guidance and competence to first do no harm to the traumatized and help them recover).

5. Family Resource Management (designing and implementing programs for strengthening and promoting family wellness in the wake of traumatic events, with special attention to young children).

6. Long-Term Trauma Counseling (helping those unable to recover quickly from the trauma by providing individual and group trauma and grief counseling).

These services are provided over varying periods of time and are performed initially by members of a deployment team. They are transported into the affected area within hours after the request is made. They stay for three to six weeks or until local GCP members can relieve them.

The GCP works with the host or client to clarify the mission of the deployment and specify measurable and attainable goals. Typically, the services provided are phased in as appropriate and include crisis stabilization, stress management, assessment and referral, grief and loss consultation and counseling, and training.