Traumatic Events: Is there a danger of over-reaction?

The greatest fear of any community is the disaster or emergency which takes an enormous physical and mental toll on all affected. Recovery from such events becomes an all-important focus.

Given the public attention that is given to major emergencies in Australia, and the extent of assistance required, it's often suggested that major agencies, government departments, or welfare groups should be directly involved, if not responsible for, emotional support and counselling for those affected. This theme is frequently reinforced at emergency exercises Australia-wide, accompanied by assumptions of professional competence, knowledge and understanding of what is required, and an expectation of automatic and effective liaison with other agencies involved.

In the light of these comments, some of the lessons learned following the crash of TWA Flight 800 back in July are worth considering. Response expert in the USA, Dr Richard Gist, reported that in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, the American Red Cross announced they had mobilised almost 500 volunteers, "the majority mental health counsellors" to assist families, while another welfare organisation advised they had also sent their grief counselling teams to JFK Airport.

These two press releases alone indicate that counsellors would outnumber victims, and doesn't take into account the other providers and would-be providers converging on the area.

Following emergencies of any form, there seems to be ever increasing numbers of people who feel obligated to help those affected, regardless of who holds responsibility for the situation. Notions held in many emergency plans of simply calling in government counsellors, chaplains, welfare agencies and volunteers, who may or may not be capable of genuinely assisting and who are not really going to be accountable for any actions they take, are both unrealistic and niave.

The most effective and supportive response intiative is the mobilisation of support people who have a prior arranged support role. A professional qualification is no guarantee of suitability.

People used should have training and competence in the task to be undertaken, and be well briefed on what is expected of them by the emergency managers. Such actions help to play down some of the more sensational aspects of the situation, as became evident when two of the "counsellors" giving assistance to families of passengers on TWA Flight 800, appeared on midday TV the day after the crash to graphically describe the emotional trauma families were going through and how they were helping them to cope.

One might ask... "Just who is this helping?" Once more, experience has shown that some people who come from the outside to assist, simply leave the situation when the novelty wears off, or the task is beyond their level of expertise.A failure of emergency management teams to appropriately select, brief, co-ordinate and supervise support personnel, counsellors and chaplains may, in fact, increase the problems of those affected, rather than reduce them.