Hello everyone,

I began writing this on an unusually hot day in April, possibly the last hot blast until later in the year for those of us down here in the south of the country.  It was windy and hot, and very reminiscent of the bushfire weather we had over summer, which led to fires across the country.  DRN volunteers and APS branches responded in various ways to to the Western Hwy fires in WA, the Tasmanian fires deep in the old growth forests, the Great Ocean Rd fires on Christmas Day, and the Barossa Valley fires in mid December last year, amongst other events. We also responded to the Daly River Floods at the very end of the year. A huge thanks to all of the DRN volunteers who helped.

Now, disaster NGO's and other groups are busy entering their  planning phase in the welcome lull after the summer period. APS are doing the same. In a few weeks I'll be meeting with colleagues at the Red Cross, Shona Whitton and Andrew Coghlan (National Manager, Emergency Services), to review the last few months, and plan for the next stages.

I hope you find some of the resources shared below of interest.

Kind regards,

Susie Burke  

Senior psychologist, public interest, environment and disaster response.

In March 2016, the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities released ‘The Economic Cost Of The Social Impact Of Natural Disasters’. This report looks at the costs and long-term social impacts of natural disasters in Australia and finds the social costs of natural disasters in 2015 were at least equal to the physical costs.

The report makes four key recommendations:

• Pre- and post-disaster funding should better reflect the long-term nature of social impacts. 
• A collaborative approach involving government, business, not-for-profits and community is needed to address the medium- and long-term economic costs of the social impacts of natural disasters
• Governments, businesses and communities need to further invest in community resilience programs that drive learning and sustained behaviour change
• Further research must be done into ways of quantifying the medium- and long-term costs of the social impacts of natural diasters

http://australianbusinessroundtable.com.au/our-papers/social-costs-report

February 2016 Inpsych article by Jane Nursery, Dr Winnie Lau and  Professor David Forbes.

These three psychologists work at Phoenix Australia, formerly ACPMH.  In this article they summarise best practice in the face of potentially traumatic events. They remind readers that, whilst most people are resilient in the face of adversity, for some people symptoms persist.  A stepped care approach is necessary to allow for natural recovery first before offering more intensive support for those who need it. 

in their list of useful tips, the authors recommend that therapists work from a developmental and trauma-informed perspective: to understand how trauma-related mental health problems may present differently across the lifespan, and avoid re-traumatisation by using strategies that promote safety, choice and collaboration, trust, empowerment, and cultural competency.

To read more, click here.

 

THe National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidlines (NERAG) is the 10th handbook in the Disaster Management series published by the Attorney Generals Department. 

NERAG provides a method to assess emergency-related risks from all hazards and is principally concerned with enabling the consistent application of emergency-related risk assessment practices across Australia. Although NERAG focuses primarily on risk assessment rather than the broader practice of risk management, its outputs are
intended to help prioritise risk mitigation activities.

To read an online version of the Handbook, click here.

Every so often, ACALTGN publishes an excellent review of current journal and newspaper articles about children and trauma.  There's fascinating reading buried in the 31 pages of listed articles.  What a wonderful resource!  I've just been scrolling through for some highlights.  How about:

• A disaster sociologist says that social and economic advantages are the strongest indicators of how a child will do in recovering from a disaster, rather than personality or character traits (link)
• A study of Holocaust survivors finds that trauma is passed on to children's genes - first example in humans of the theory of epigenetic inheritance: the idea that environmental factors can affect the genes of your children.

Click here for the list of articles.  You'll love it!

After the Emergency website, podcast and mp3 player is for young people recovering from an emergency. The website has a collection of little films, online resources, music and other helpful resources that are designed with children and young people in mind.

Click here for more information.

A PhD psychology student in the faculty of human sciences at Macquarie University is looking for participants in a study on the skill of sensemaking in disaster aid work.  Eva Gacasan is looking for people to participate who have been involved in humanitarian  projects, (e.g. crisis, disaster, emergency management).

To access the study:
Go to: https://expertise.mq.edu.au/
Log in to Participant Portal
For Organization Code, type: AID
Select: Project Sensemaking Program

And away you go - There's even a $25 payment for completion of the survey!

Visit the website to view the preliminary program, read more about the keynote speakers, and find out about the Student Program.
Super Early Bird registration ends 10th April - don't miss out on substantial savings.   http://www.acots.org/

Phoenix Australia delivers a range of excellent training programs for professionals through 2016 to give you the skills to provide practical, effective support and treatment. Courses include:

• Psychological first aid
• Trauma informed care
• Neuropsychological Impact of Trauma
• Trauma-Focussed Psychological Therapy - Children & Adolescents
• Trauma-Focussed Psychological Therapy - adults
• Cognitive Processing Therapy

Click on the link to the Phoenix Australia website for 2016 CPD workshops.

 

The APS Learning Institute has an online practice certificate in disaster support. This certificate comprises four online courses that focus on preparing for disasters and responding to the social and psychological needs of persons and communities affected by disasters.

Course A: Disasters in context
Course B: Level 1 early intervention
Course C: Level 2 psychological strategies
Course D: Ethical and professional issues in disaster response
Courses can be selected and taken individually but Course A: Disasters in context is basic preparation for the three remaining courses.
http://www.psychology.org.au/APSinstitute/practice-certificate/.

The Mandala Foundation is a registered Not-For-Profit (NFP) that provides professional psychological and psychosocial support services to the humanitarian aid and international development sector. They aim to prevent and reduce the high risk of psychological injury to aid workers by strengthening systematic staff care practices within aid organisations.

Mandala Foundation are running a 1 day training in Psychological First Aid in May, 2016.

Psychosocial First Aid Skills
May 18 @ 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Click here for more information.

The APS Find a Psychologist Service is a national database of over 2,400 psychologists. The online service is regularly searched more than 1,000 times a day by GPs, health practitioners and the general public seeking a referral to a psychologist, and is one of the easiest and most effective ways to promote yourself and your practice.

DRN members should note that there are several ways in which they can identify themselves as a disaster experienced psychologist when listing their practice on the database. For example, under Trauma/Harm, they can select a range of issues including PTSD, psychological first aid and disaster recovery.