Director Paulison Responds to Criticism of Crisis Counseling Program
After four hurricanes hit Florida in 2004 and following an influx of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita evacuees from other Gulf Coast states, FEMA was there to help victims and the state rebuild. As part of its mission defined by Congress, FEMA has both the authority and responsibility to fund programs addressing the mental health impacts of a disaster. To that end, the state of Florida requested aid for a robust mental health outreach program to be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services and operated by the state. Once again, as it has been since its inception, FEMA was there for the state of Florida.
During its 25 years of existence, the crisis counseling program has provided short-term mental health services to individuals and groups affected by large-scale disasters. The program serves people who have witnessed deaths, experienced serious physical injuries, been separated from family members, lost their homes and their jobs – individuals and families whose lives have been turned upside down. Many are children traumatized by disaster or individuals already living with a disability, including, in numerous cases, mental illness. (Read More)
More Information:
- Fact Sheet: Crisis Counseling
- Letter to the Editor – State of Florida Department of Children and Families (PDF 110KB, TXT 5KB)
- An Overview of the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (PDF 113KB, TXT 16KB)
- Crisis Counseling and Mental Health Treatment – Similarities and Differences (PDF 96KB, TXT 14KB)
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Adobe Acrobat (PDF)Last Modified: Tuesday, 17-Oct-2006 14:57:24 EDT