Dealing With Emotional Impact Of Hurricane Is A Key Part Of Recovery
Crisis Counseling Can Help Children and Adults With Post Hurricane Stress and Depression
Release Date: August 11, 2006
Release Number: 1603-521
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NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Stress and depression are constant companions for many hurricane affected residents. Free crisis counseling services offered through a federal/state partnership can help hurricane survivors deal with post hurricane stress, depression, and anxiety. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Mental Health has received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide crisis counseling through Louisiana Spirit.
Louisiana Spirit is funded through grants from FEMA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). A call to Louisiana Spirit can result in an immediate referral to a crisis counselor. They also provide education and information for people who might just need to talk with someone. These grants do not provide for treatments such as hospitalizations and other intensive and long term treatment interventions
“Hurricane victims have been through a lot and the current hurricane season can be a tough time, especially for children,” said Jim Stark, FEMA’s Director of Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office. “Parents need to know that free crisis counselors are available for them and their children to talk to and help them get through the stress of this traumatic event.”
FEMA provides funding for the Crisis Counseling program to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Mental Health Services. There are two components to FEMA’s crisis counseling funding-the immediate services grant and the regular services grant for larger and more far-ranging disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
The state turns to professional, qualified agencies and personnel to provide this help. FEMA approved $18.5 million for Louisiana’s immediate services crisis counseling program for Louisiana Spirit to provide counseling services to Louisiana residents following Hurricane Katrina
“Just being in a different place and not knowing what this hurricane season will bring can make this a stressful time – for children and their parents,” said Dr. Anthony Speier, disaster mental health director for DHH’s Office of Mental Health..
“Sometimes children who survive a disaster can have nightmares or difficulty sleeping,” said Speier. “They might go back to behaviors they outgrew, like thumb-sucking or bed-wetting.”
Regressive behavior like that can be upsetting to the child as well as the parent, he said.
“One of the best things a parent can do is let their children talk to a crisis counselor about how they’re feeling,” Speier said. “Crisis counseling helps reassure children what they’re feeling is normal. Counseling also helps children develop coping skills to get through tough times now and later in life.”
Crisis counselors trained to help children are available through the program. Crisis counseling also can help adult hurricane evacuees look at what they have accomplished in the past few months.
“Recovery is a process not a destination,” Speier said. “People can sometimes feel like they’re taking a step backward when the blues hit, but that emotional roller coaster is a natural part of the recovery process.”
Hurricane survivors are busy building a new life, different from what they knew, but one that still can be good and meaningful, with new traditions and experiences, he said.
Everyone who was in the hurricane affected area has been impacted by the stress of being subjected to the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, whether they are aware of it or not. Adults and children may be experiencing a general uneasiness or malaise after their lives were assaulted by the hurricane. Even listening to repeated news programs about the hurricane can cause an individual to be depressed or blue. It is normal to feel depressed or anxious after a traumatic event. Whether the hurricane survivor is a man, woman or child, rich or poor, or of any race, depression, anxiety, and stress make no distinction.
There will be no medical record established in the person’s name when they call the toll-free number 1-800-273-8255 or 1-800-273-TALK for crisis counseling. The service is confidential and each caller may talk with a trained professional counselor.
“Crisis Counseling is considered a key part of recovery services for people in Louisiana, according to State Coordinating Officer Tom Kirkpatrick with the Louisiana Governor’s Division of Emergency Management.
“People rebuilding their lives after the hurricane have been drawing on their inner strength to get through these tough times,” Kirkpatrick said. “Crisis counseling can help those people restore those inner reserves, so they can keep doing what needs to be done.”
Persons affected by Hurricane Katrina should call 1-800-273-8255 or 1-800-273-TALK for a referral to a crisis counselor or to just talk with a helpful counselor. Families hosting evacuees, teachers in schools with evacuees and caregivers of children are also eligible for counseling services.
Crisis Counseling is:
- Free. There is no cost to talk to experienced crisis counselors.
- For everyone. Both adults and children can be stressed, sad or angry after a disaster, and the hurricane season can add to that stress. Counseling helps people gain emotional control.
- Easy to arrange. Call Louisiana Spirit for a free crisis counseling referral or just to talk to a helpful counselor at 1-800-273-8255 or 1-800-273-TALK.
- It is Confidential. No medical record with your name will be established when you call.
- Beneficial to your total well-being. Anxiety, stress, and depression can affect your physical health.
(See chart below for tips on helping children deal with stress due to hurricane.)
Watch for any change in behavior, such as:
- Crying more frequently than usual
- Clinging
- Showing excessive fear of the dark
- Having nightmares
- Fear of being alone
- Changing appetite
- Speaking with difficulty
- Aggressiveness
- Fighting at school
- Irritable or angry
- Not interested in school
- Lower grades
- Returning to outgrown behaviors— such as bed-wetting or thumb-sucking
- Excessive fear of animals
Simple things you can do to help children cope with stress
- Spend some time each day giving each child your undivided attention, even if just for a few minutes. Share experiences, make plans together and just “be there” for each other.
Encourage them to talk and describe what they are feeling. Let them talk about the hurricane and ask as many questions as they want. Listen to what they say. Assure them that what happened was an act of nature and not caused by them. If possible, include the entire family in the discussion. - Understand their fears. Recognize that their anxieties are very real to them. Help them cope by getting them to understand what causes their anxieties and fears. Recognize their losses, such as not being in their old school, or losing pets, favorite toys and other items.
- Limit viewing of news coverage. If your children are watching the news, watch it with them, so you can answer questions and provide support.
- Keep children informed about what is happening. Keep explanations in simple language. With children 5 or older, rehearse safety measures for use in future disasters.
- Reassure them with firmness and love. Tell them they are safe and sound with their family, holding and hugging them frequently. (Very young children need a lot of cuddling.)
- Restore normal routines, provide opportunities for them to play, and make bedtime a special moment of calm and comfort.
- Encourage activities with other children their age and lower expectations for them temporarily. Remember, stress from the hurricane can show itself in many ways.
- Free crisis counseling is available by calling 1-800-273-8255 or 1-800-273-TALK. Trained professional counselors can make referrals if adults or children need additional help.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 11-Aug-2006 12:51:12