August 2012
- Welcome
- Triple P Bad Weather Survival Guide
- Teacher Training resources for working with children following a disaster
- Japanese translations of teacher training resources
- QUICK SERIES Psychological First Aid
- Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network (ACATLGN)
- Trauma and Grief Network: for families and carers
- Special Disaster Issue of the New Zealand Journal of Psychology
- 2013 Disaster Management Conference – Earth: Fire and Rain. Call for abstracts
- Contact us
Welcome
Dear Sir/Madam,
In the APS National Office, things are starting to crank into gear for the APS annual conference in Perth in late September. Hopefully some of you will be coming, and will be able to attend our Professional Forum on Disaster Prevention and Preparedness, and also a Symposium on three levels of psychosocial support and mental health care following widespread natural disasters (both on Friday 28th September).
Also coming up in Perth in early September is the Australian Society for Traumatic Stress (ACOTS) conference on Trauma and Disaster – Complexity, Diversity and Recovery. There is an excellent line-up of disaster experts presenting. For more information, go to https://astss.org.au/events/acots-conference-2012.
Please find below some additional news items, new resources, and requests for assistance from disaster colleagues working to develop useful tools for communities following disasters.
Dr Susie Burke
Public Interest, Environment and Disaster Response
Triple P Bad Weather Survival Guide
In the February DRN newsletter, we introduced members to a new resource developed by Dr Vanessa Cobham, Associate Professor Brett McDermott and Professor Matthew Sanders. The Triple P Bad Weather Survival Guide is an online resource for promoting children and young people’s resilience to natural disasters. The authors are still seeking feedback on the material – see the following letter:
Dear Professional,
Do you work with young people and their families? Dr Vanessa Cobham, Associate Professor Brett McDermott and Professor Matthew Sanders have developed a resource that is intended to promote children and adolescents’ resilience to natural disasters. It would be extremely helpful if you could please take a look at these materials and give some feedback by completing an anonymous online survey. Have your say, and help us to disseminate effective support to Australian families: http://psy.uq.edu.au/say
The Child and Adolescent Disaster Response (led by Associate Professor Brett McDermott and Dr Vanessa Cobham) has teamed up with Triple P founder Professor Matthew Sanders at The University of Queensland to develop parenting support around building children’s resilience to floods, cyclones and other extreme weather events. Dr Cobham and colleagues are working with Professor Kevin Ronan at Central Queensland University to evaluate this new material.
The Triple P Bad Weather Survival Guide is an online resource that comprises a video, tip-sheet and podcast of a radio interview with Professor Sanders. This package was developed with the view to include several practical tips that parents may find useful in encouraging their child to feel prepared, not scared, at the prospect of bad weather.
We are seeking parents’ and professionals’ feedback on the relevance and acceptability of this survival guide, as well as inviting their input on ideas for its delivery and promotion. In this sense, parents and professionals who take part in this consultative process will play an important role in the development and future distribution of this family resource.
You are warmly invited to take a look at the Triple P Bad Weather Survival Guide and let us know what you think. Teachers, mental health clinicians, Triple P practitioners, allied health, medical practitioners, childcare workers and other professionals who work with youth and their families are welcome to take part. Any feedback received will be anonymous. To have your say, visit:
http://psy.uq.edu.au/say
Thank you for helping us to disseminate effective support to Australian families.
Teacher Training resources for working with children following a disaster
Professor Justin Kenardy and colleagues at the University of Queensland Schools of Medicine and Psychology have recently developed a series of teacher training resources. The purpose of the package is to assist teachers to promote recovery in children following disaster or trauma, and to identify if and when a child might need additional assistance. The training can be done before or after trauma, so it could serve as training for future events as well as past. The program is not based on psychological first aid or skills for psychological recovery but was designed specifically for teachers to enhance their role as teachers in these situations; it has also been used by guidance officers, nurses and psychologists.
This program has been delivered across Queensland, particularly targeting high impact areas, and was also delivered in Christchurch following their earthquake. The program utilises the best available research on children and trauma, and is thus evidence informed. Evaluation shows that it is very well received in schools. Evaluation of the training has included over 600 teachers - overwhelming support has been reported from those who have received it.
The resources are freely available at
http://www.som.uq.edu.au/childtrauma/post-disaster-resources/for-teachers.aspx
In addition to face-to-face training, the researchers have also developed a set of online streaming videos to allow the training to be done anywhere there is internet access, or access to a DVD player. The videos can be accessed here: http://www.som.uq.edu.au/childtrauma/post-disaster-resources/teacher-training-videos.aspx
Japanese translations of teacher training resources
With the assistance of a Japanese psychologist, the researchers at UQ have also developed Japanese translations of their teacher training that take cross-cultural factors into account. In the end the whole training package was translated including trainer manual and powerpoint, which allows the package to be delivered in Japan. The Japanese translation of the main training resource is available on the disaster portal www.psid.org.au, or contact Justin Kenardy for access to the whole training package.
j.kenardy@uq.edu.au
QUICKSERIES Psychological First Aid Reference Guide
There is increasing interest amongst psychologists working in communities vulnerable to natural disasters to develop skills in Psychological First Aid. Many have sought out the excellent Psychological First Aid work by psychologists at the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD in the USA (developed by Brymer, M, Jacobs, A., Layne, C., Pynoos, R,., Ruzek, J., Steinberg, A, Vernberg, E., and Watson P). Some have also completed their online course in Psychological First Aid. http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/psych-first-aid.asp.
The authors have also produced a very useful QuickSeries Reference Guide on the topic of Psychological First Aid. The laminated pocket size guides summarise all of the basic skills of psychological first aid as defined by Brymer and his colleagues, and can be purchased through Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Psychological-First-Quick-Series-first/dp/B005OMM1OW/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1.
The Guide is also available as an eguide http://www.quickseries.com/mobile/index.php?id=15026
Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network (ACATLGN)
ACATLGN has just launched a new version of their website, which is worth checking out at http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/
Trauma and Grief Network: for families and carers
As well as updating their main website, ACATLGN have developed a whole new section that aims to address the needs of young people, families and carers. The Trauma and Grief Network website http://tgn.anu.edu.au/ has resource hubs that focus on the many adversities and stressors that families may experience, as well as the trauma and losses that impact on children, young people and families. On the TGN website you will find tip sheets, resources, links and multimedia presentations.
ACATLGN also produce a great newsletter which can be accessed here. http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/newsletter. You can subscribe for free to keep up to date on the latest information with ACATLGN's monthly newsletter.
Special Disaster Issue of the New Zealand Journal of Psychology
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) has released a Special Issue of the New Zealand Journal of Psychology that presents sound research and a range of professional experiences related to the changing condition of the population of Canterbury in the aftermath of the last 10,000 shakes and 500 days.
The Special Issue will be of interest to a wide audience as it brings together information on preparation for, survival of, and recovery from an ongoing disaster affecting a tenth of New Zealand’s population, and a quarter of its economy. Pictures and commentaries help bring out the reality of what is being reported in each area. Other disaster settings offer lessons and methods. Data and analysis look at aspects of difficult decisions, such as how to communicate the little that is known, and of encouraging attention to what can be done in future.
The journal is distributed digitally. You can obtain a PDF copy from their web portal at www.psychology.org.nz.
2013 Disaster Management Conference – Earth: Fire and Rain. Call for abstracts
The 2013 Australian & New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference is a joint initiative of three 'not-for-profit' organisations – the Australian Institute of Emergency Services, the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Organisation Inc, and the Association for Sustainability in Business Inc.
The Conference Organising Committee is calling for submissions for the 2013 Australian & New Zealand Disaster Management Conference. This event will again be held in Brisbane on the 29th-31st May 2013 at the Mercure Hotel. The Conference will provide a forum to examine the issues surrounding natural and man-made hazards.
The conference program will focus on 'PPRR' - Prevention, Preparedness, Response & Recovery - and incorporate keynote addresses, concurrent sessions and workshops covering human and social issues, economic and environmental challenges, infrastructure, community and communication topics.
For more information, go to http://anzdmc.com.au/.
Abstracts are due by February 1st, 2013.
Contact us
If you have feedback on DRN News, or useful information or suggestions that you would like us to include in DRN News, please contact us at drn@psychology.org.au.
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