Table Of ContentDisaster Mental Health Case Studies
DisasterMentalHealthCaseStudiesisarivetingcollectionofcasestudiesbymaster
cliniciansthatrevealhowdisastermentalhealthinterventionsmustbetailoredtomeet
theneedsofsurvivors.Eachuniquecasestudyisstructuredtogivethereaderanintro-
ductiontothecommunityaffectedpre-disaster;aglimpseintothethoughtprocessesof
thedisastermentalhealthresponderspre-andpost-disaster;andareflectiveselectionof
lessonslearnedasaresultoftheexperiences.The17casestudiesofferthereader:
(cid:1) Guidance on how to develop an empathic approach to disaster mental health
response;
(cid:1) Exposure to a diverse sample of disaster contexts, including naturally-occur-
ring disasters, human-caused disasters, and disasters which occurred in an
internationalsetting;
(cid:1) Anunderstandingofthestrategicapproachesneededfordisastermentalhealthser-
viceresponse,aswellasanappreciationoftheneedforself-carewhenresponding;
(cid:1) A grounded and accessible writing style, bookended by chapters from the
editorswhich thematicallylinkandanalyzethecasestudies.
Offering a rare and compelling view into the challenges, tragedies, pain, frustra-
tions,andgriefattheheartofdisastermentalhealthwork,thismust-havecollection
is tailored to appeal to students of mental health and counselling, psychology, and
social work; and working mental health professionals who would like to learn
directlyfromexperiencedresponders.
JamesHalpern,PhD,isProfessorEmeritusandFoundingDirectoroftheInstitutefor
DisasterMentalHealthattheStateUniversityofNewYorkatNewPaltz.Heisco-
author of Disaster Mental Health Interventions: Core Principles and Practices and
DisasterMentalHealth:TheoryandPractice.
AmyNitza,PhD,istheDirectoroftheInstituteforDisasterMentalHealthatthe
State UniversityofNewYorkatNewPaltz.
Karla Vermeulen, PhD, is the Deputy Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental
HealthandanAssociateProfessorattheStateUniversityofNewYorkatNewPaltz.
Sheisco-authorofDisasterMentalHealthInterventions:CorePrinciplesandPractices.
“This much-needed volume will help all disaster workers and emergency
responders, whether they are trainees or seasoned professionals, to better
understand and navigate the real-world processes of disaster mental health
response.Itoffersauniquedescriptionofthehelpingexperiences,personal
feelings, and reflections on lessons learned of individuals deployed in a
comprehensive range of 17 natural and human-caused disasters, both
domestic and international. This book is an invaluable training tool and
deserves a place in the library of every emergency helper.”
—Josef I. Ruzek, PhD, former director, National Center for PTSD
Dissemination and Training Division, adjunct professor, Department of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
“The editors of this book are leading experts in the field of disaster
response. They have assembled a series of compelling case studies on the
human effects of variouskinds of disasters. It is remarkable that they have
included so many of the major disasters the world has seen in the past
thirty years; with these case studies, readers can be reminded of what may
have been forgotten and what can be learned from these experiences. Dis-
aster Mental Health Case Studies is a great service to those who study
disaster, as it takes a vast literature and in one place presents the recent
history of disaster.”
—Richard G. Tedeschi, PhD, coauthor of Posttraumatic
Growth: Theory, Research, and Applications
“TheexperienceofreadingDisasterMentalHealthCaseStudiesislikepeering
intoeachcontributor’spersonaljournalwhilealsogettingusefulinstructionon
what works and what doesn’t in providing disaster mental health services.
The diversearrayofcasestudies shared in thiswell-organized,easy-to-follow
compilationmovethereaderthroughajourneyofunderstandingtheimpacts
ofdisastersonindividuals,families,andcommunities(andonourselves)that’s
onahuman,accessiblelevel,whichwillmakedisastermentalhealthproviders
allthemoreeffectiveinsupportingsurvivorsandresponders.”
—ChristianBurgess,MSW,director,DisasterDistressHelplinefor
VibrantEmotionalHealth
Disaster Mental Health Case
Studies
Lessons Learned from Counseling in Chaos
Edited by
James Halpern, Amy Nitza, and
Karla Vermeulen
Firstpublished2019
byRoutledge
52VanderbiltAvenue,NewYork,NY10017
andbyRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2019selectionandeditorialmatter,JamesHalpern,AmyNitza,andKarla
Vermeulen;individualchapters,thecontributors
TherightofJamesHalpern,AmyNitza,andKarlaVermeulentobe
identifiedastheauthorsoftheeditorialmaterial,andoftheauthorsfor
theirindividualchapters,hasbeenassertedinaccordancewithsections77
and78oftheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproduced
orutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,
nowknownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,
orinanyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionin
writingfromthepublishers.
Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksor
registeredtrademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanation
withoutintenttoinfringe.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Acatalogrecordforthistitlehasbeenrequested
ISBN:978-1-138-55918-9(hbk)
ISBN:978-1-138-55919-6(pbk)
ISBN:978-1-351-25226-3(ebk)
TypesetinTimesNewRoman
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
This book is dedicated to the first responders, disaster mental
health helpers, and spiritual care providers around the world
who put their health and lives at risk in attempting to ease the
pain of disaster survivors.
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Contents
About the Editors ix
List of Contributors xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Disclaimer xviii
1 Introduction 1
JAMESHALPERN,AMYNITZA,ANDKARLAVERMEULEN
SECTIONI
Natural Disasters in the United States 11
2 Natural Disasters Section Introduction 13
KARLAVERMEULEN
3 2014 Mudslides in Oso, WA 17
J.CHRISTIERODGERS
4 2005 Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana 26
GERALDMCCLEERY
5 2013 Wildfire in Yarnell, AZ 34
MARGARETMCGEE-SMITH
6 2016 Floods in Mississippi 43
WILLIAML.MARTIN
7 2011 Tornado in Joplin, MO 51
RICHARDBIGELOW
8 2012 Super Storm Sandy in New York City 60
DIANERYAN
viii Contents
SECTIONII
Human-Caused Disasters in the United States 69
9 Human-Caused Disasters Section Introduction 71
JAMESHALPERN
10 1995 Bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City 77
JOHNR.TASSEY
11 2001 World Trade Center Attack in New York City 86
MARYTRAMONTIN
12 2012 Sandy Hook School Shooting in Newtown, CT 96
WAYNEF.DAILEY
13 2012 Shooting in Webster, NY 105
STEVENN.MOSKOWITZ
14 2014 Mass Murder in Isla Vista, CA 114
ERIKAFELIX
15 2016 Pulse Night Club Shooting in Orlando, FL 122
TARAS.HUGHES
SECTIONIII
International Disasters 131
16 International Disasters Section Introduction 133
AMYNITZA
17 1998 Las Casitas Mudslides in Nicaragua 140
JOSEPHO.PREWITTDIAZ
18 2010 Earthquake in Haiti 149
WISMICKJEAN-CHARLES
19 2013 Asylum Seeker Camp Riots on Nauru 158
STEPHENBROOKER
20 2013 Massacre at Rabaa Square in Egypt 167
BASMAABDELAZIZ
21 2014 Ebola Outbreak in Guinea 176
REINELEBEL
22 Conclusion 185
JAMESHALPERN,AMYNITZA,ANDKARLAVERMEULEN
Index 194
About the Editors
James Halpern is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Counseling and
FoundingDirectoroftheInstituteforDisasterMentalHealthattheState
University of New York at New Paltz. He is the co-author of Disaster
MentalHealthInterventions:CorePrinciplesandPractices(Routledge)and
DisasterMentalHealth:TheoryandPractice(Thompson).Hehasreceived
federal grants from United States Agency for International Development
(forworkintheMiddleEast),CentersforDiseaseControl,NationalInsti-
tuteforMentalHealth,andtheSubstanceAbuseandMentalHealthSer-
vices Administration as well as grants from New York State agencies
(Department of Health, Office of Mental Health, Office of Homeland
SecurityandEmergencyServices,andOfficeofVictimServices)todevelop
and provide training and education in Disaster Mental Health. He has
consultedfortheUnitedNationsonAssistingVictimsofTerroranddevel-
opedtrainingmodulesfortheUnitedNationsEmergencyPreparednessand
SupportTeams.Hehasalsoprovideddirectservicetodisastersurvivorsand
servedinaleadershiproleatbothlarge-scalenationalandlocaldisasters.
Amy Nitza is the Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at
the State University of New York at New Paltz. She specializes in
mental health training and disaster response in international contexts.
As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Botswana, she studied the
use of group counseling interventions in HIV/AIDS prevention among
adolescents. In the Kingdom of Bhutan, she worked at the National
Referral Hospital, providing direct services and training for staff. She
has overseen multiple disaster mental health projects at the state,
national, and international levels, and has received several grants for
this work, including from New York State agencies and the New York
State Health Foundation. She is Past President and Fellow of the
AssociationforSpecialists inGroupWork,andTreasureroftheSociety
for Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Division 49) of the
American Psychological Association. She holds a Doctorate in Coun-
seling Psychology from Indiana University.
