Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
CSTS | Department of Psychiatry | Uniformed Services University | 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799 | www.CSTSonline.org

Mental Health Resources
Relevant to Ebola
HHS RESOURCESASPR Division for At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral
Health, and Community Resilience (ASPR-ABC)
http://www.phe.gov/abc
At-Risk Individuals (ASPR-ABC)
At-risk individuals have needs in one or more of thefollowing functional areas: communication, medical care,maintaining independence, supervision, and transportation.
This fact sheet defines “at-risk individuals” and their needs
before, during, and after an emergency.
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/Pages/
at-risk.aspx
HHS Disaster Behavioral Health (ASPR-ABC)
This fact sheet highlights behavioral health concerns
affecting survivors/responders and the need for disasterbehavioral health capabilities.
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/Pages/
disaster-behavioral.aspx
Disaster Behavioral Health Capacity Assessment (ASPRABC)This tool serves as a template for a behavioral healthorganizational assessment that organizations may opt to use
or adjust to identify disaster behavioral health capacity andgaps.
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/Documents/dbh-capacity-tool.pdf
CDCCoping with a Disaster or Traumatic Event
This page provides links specific to types of trauma(e.g. natural disasters and terrorist attacks) and specificpopulations (e.g. individuals, parents, schools, responders,health professionals, states). Links are provided to
information on stress, coping, talking to children, andrelated references.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/index.asp

Emergency Preparedness and Response: Coping with a
Disaster or Traumatic Eventhttps://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/index.asp
Disaster Mental Health for Responders: Key Principles,
Issues and Questions
https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/responders.asp
ATSDR/CDC Webcast, Reference Manual, Script andSlides
Describes stress, coping with field related stress, andinformation for families of responders (2005; some materials
labeled as “draft”).
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/emes/surviving_stress/index.html
Traumatic Incident Stress: Information for Emergency
Response Workers (NIOSH/CDC, 2002)
How to take care of yourself onsite & at home; developed by
the National Institute for Occupational Healthhttps://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/UserFiles/works/
pdfs/2002-107.pdf
Coping With a Traumatic Event
Information for the public (and another link for healthprofessionals) on stresses associated with traumatic events,
steps to take to feel better, and when to ask for help.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/index.asp
SAMHSASAMHSA Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training
Program (CCP)
https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/ccp
SAMHSA’s Disaster App
A free smartphone application created by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) makes it easier for behavioral health responders
to focus on disaster survivors by providing them quick accessto resources for getting help. The SAMHSA Disaster App was
designed to meet the needs of disaster responders.
http://store.samhsa.gov/apps/disasterContinued

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline
For returning responders experiencing distress as a resultof their deployment, SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline
is available to assist. The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH)
is the first national hotline dedicated to providing yearround disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free,multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via
telephone (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (text ‘TalkWithUs’
to 66746) to residents in the U.S. and its territories who areexperiencing emotional distress related to natural or manmade disasters. For more information please visit
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distresshelpline
SAMHSA Psychological First Aid Brochurehttps://store.samhsa.gov/product/Psychological-FirstAid-for-First-Responders/NMH05-0210
SAMHSA Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series(DBHIS)
DBHIS is a collection of resources on numerous subjects,
including children and youth, deployed military personnel
and their families, languages other than english, older
adults, persons with functional and access needs, rural
populations, tribal organizations, and many more.
https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/dbhis-collections
SAMHSA Disaster Response Template Toolkit
This Disaster Response Template Toolkit features public
education materials that disaster behavioral healthresponse programs can use to create resources for reachingpeople affected by a disaster.
https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/dbhis-collections/disasterresponse-template-toolkit
SAMHSA Disaster Kit
The SAMHSA Disaster Kit arms disaster recovery workers
with a toolkit on mental health awareness. Includes
materials for responding effectively to the general publicduring and after a disaster and in dealing with workplacestress. Also includes materials for the general public.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/samhsas-disaster-kit/
sma11-disaster
Field Manual for Mental Health and Human Service
Workers in Major Disasters (2000)
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/field-manual-mentalhealth-and-human-service-workers-major-disasters/
adm90-0537
Taking Care of Your Emotional Health After a Disaster(English) and (Spanish) SAMHSA/Red Cross
https://www.samhsa.gov/node/668376

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) Coping with TraumaticEvents Page
This is a home page with many links; focus is more on“disaster” but some links may be relevant
https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-distress-helpline/
coping-tips
SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Network(NCTSN) (also more focused on disaster)
https://www.nctsn.org/
Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and YouthCope After a Traumatic Event
A Guide for Parents, Caregivers and Teachers.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/tips-talking-helpingchildren-youth-cope-after-disaster-or-traumatic-eventguide-parents/sma12-4732
NATIONAL CENTER FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESSDISORDER (PTSD)
Warning Signs & Information on Psychological
Concerns after Experiencing Disaster and Violence
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/disaster_
violence_help_survivors.asp
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Psychological First Aid Guide During Ebola Virus
Disease Outbreaks
https://www.who.int/mental_health/emergencies/
psychological_first_aid_ebola/en/
Psychological first aid guide for field workers
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44615
Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Supportfor Humanitarian Personnel
https://www.who.int/mental_health/emergencies/what_
humanitarian_health_actors_should_know.pdf
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHSCIENCES (NIEHS/NIH)
Stakeholder Meeting on Mental Health and Training(Report, 2012)
Based on data collected after the Deep Water Horizon(DWH) spill, significant mental health consequences wereidentified, similar to previous disasters. NIEHS convened
a meeting to evaluate the worker education and training
program (Now called WTP: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/index.cfm) performed
immediately after the DWH spill. Two main themes cameout of the meeting: 1) Pre-training of workers provides
more competent and resilient workers. Participants
understood that while “just-in-time”/incident specifictraining has an impact, pre-disaster training of workers
is highly recommended. 2) Performing as a community
team, involving public health, primary care, community

programs, and mental health providers results in better
outcomes than does working in silos.

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Department of Psychiatry
Uniformed Services University
4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799
www.CSTSonline.org