Disaster Mental Health Services: A Primer for Practitioners

Disaster mental health is a growing field of practice designed to help victims and relief workers learn to effectively cope with the extreme stresses they will face in the aftermath of a disaster. The goal of disaster mental health is to prevent the development of long-term, negative psychological consequences, such as PTSD. This book assists clinicians and traumatologists in "making the bridge" between their clinical knowledge and skills and the unique, complex, chaotic, and highly political field of disaster. It combines information from a vast reservoir of prior research and literature with the authors' practical and pragmatic experience in providing disaster mental health services in a wide variety of disasters.

David F. Wee is a Disaster Mental Health Consultant and Trainer, and is the Disaster Coordinator and Program Supervisor to the City of Berkeley, Department of Health and Human Services, Mental Health Division. He is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, California Specialized Training Institute.