Though the local mental health authority is responsible for reestablishing general mental health services to this population, it is also important to provide special disaster services and interventions for those with special needs, either through crisis counseling services for the general population or those specifically provided at mental health service sites. Preparedness training should be provided to consumers. Recognition should be given to staff members who continue to provide routine clinical services to people with mental illness as well as to those staff who provide disaster response services. This chapter will help CMHC managers, program directors, clinical staff, and consumers prepare for, and recover from, a disaster experience. Making disaster planning as a part of an ongoing psychiatric rehabilitation program is a way to educate staff and consumers about preparedness, response, and recovery.
Consumers can develop the curriculum and train their peers.
Staff must address disaster-related needs of consumers, provide opportunities for group work to share experiences and resolve the painful aspects of the experience, and provide opportunities for consumers to serve the larger community in its recovery. This chapter is written for those who design, administer, or work in crisis counseling programs. It also addresses how these programs may, within the scope of their intent, respond to the needs of this population. Establish predisaster plans, agreements, and relationships among State Mental Health Authority, local mental health provider agencies, State emergency management agencies, and FEMA will help ensure rapid, effective disaster mental health response and timely implementation of the Crisis Counseling Program. CMHS staff may be contacted for help with developing the Crisis Counseling Program and negotiating the bureaucratic maze of State and Federal agencies.