Population-specific Outreach Resources for Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Programs

Population-specific, culturally aware and attuned outreach is a key component of an effective Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP). Experiencing a disaster and its aftermath can make it harder for survivors to understand and retain information, so resources you can share or leave with them after your visit become especially important. The following resources may be helpful to CCPs and other disaster behavioral health programs conducting outreach in their communities after disasters.

Adult Survivors

• Have You Experienced a Disaster?
  Disaster survivors are not always aware of behaviors in themselves or others that are associated with adverse reactions to a disaster. This poster helps adult disaster survivors identify possible reactions and provides resources they can turn to for help.
• Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief After a Disaster or Traumatic Event
  This tip sheet contains information about grief, the grieving process, and what happens when the process is interrupted, complicated, or traumatic grief occurs. It offers tips and resources for coping with all types of grief.
• Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Coping with Retraumatization
  This tip sheet explains the signs and symptoms of retraumatization and provides guidance on how to manage symptoms. It includes resources for building flexibility after a disaster and an adequate support system for dealing with triggering events.

Older Adults

• Helping Older Adults After Disasters: A Guide to Providing Support
  This guide for crisis counselors and outreach workers presents demographics of older adults (ages 65 years and older) in the United States; identifies conditions and situations that may place older adults at heightened risk in and after disasters; and lists resources for information on and support for older adults and their families after disasters. It features a tip sheet about disaster behavioral health for older adults that CCPs and other disaster behavioral health programs can customize and share.
• SAMHSA Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series (DBHIS) Collection for Older Adults
  This collection includes resources on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for older adults and people working with older adults.

People Experiencing Homelessness

• SAMHSA DBHIS Collection for People Experiencing Homelessness
  This collection of resources provides information to guide support for people who are experiencing homelessness due to a disaster. The resources explain the trauma people experiencing homelessness are likely to experience and highlight needs that are specific to youth.

Tribal Populations

• SAMHSA DBHIS Collection for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal-specific Resources
  This collection focuses on working with tribal organizations, individuals, and communities. Topics include disaster preparedness and recovery, federal tribal partners, suicide prevention, and cultural competence.
• SAMHSA Tribal Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Center
  The SAMHSA Tribal TTA Center provides technical assistance and resources and can act as a broker or cultural liaison with tribes in your state.
• Tips for Disaster Responders: Cultural Awareness When Working in Indian Country Post Disaster
  This fact sheet is designed to help disaster response workers build the cultural awareness needed to support American Indians before, during, and after a traumatic event. It discusses different types of traumatic events, cultural values, traditional teachings, and talking circles.
• Tips for Disaster Responders: Understanding Historical Trauma and Resilience When Responding to an Event in Indian Country
  This tip sheet defines and describes historical trauma and the impact it has had in Indian Country. It also provides tips on how responders can work effectively with tribal leaders and community members during and after a disaster.

First Responders, Disaster Responders, and Healthcare Professionals

• First Responders and Disaster Responders Resource Portal
  This section of the SAMHSA DTAC website provides information about the signs of stress and stress management for responders as well as resources and online training sessions.
• A Guide to Managing Stress for Disaster Responders and First Responders
  This guide provides information to help disaster responders and response leaders manage stress at the organizational and individual levels and engage in self-care before, during, and after a disaster.
• Tips for Health Care Practitioners and Responders: Helping Survivors Cope With Grief After a Disaster or Traumatic Event
  This fact sheet provides guidelines for communicating with survivors experiencing grief.

Children and Youth

• SAMHSA DBHIS Collection for Children and Youth
  This installment provides disaster behavioral health resources for children and youth, their families, and child-serving professionals.
• Have You and Your Family Been Affected by a Disaster?
  Parents and caregivers may not always understand and be able to identify behaviors in children and youth that are associated with adverse reactions to a disaster. This poster provides information about possible adverse reactions and where to get help.
• Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
  This fact sheet provides parents, caregivers, and teachers with strategies for helping children manage their stress during an infectious disease outbreak. It describes potential reactions among youth and how adults can support them.
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) website
  NCTSN provides a host of resources about the impacts of disasters and terrorism and violence on children and families for caregivers, educators, and others who work with children, as well as for children and teenagers.