PSYC431 Assignment: Disaster Response 1

PSYC431 Assignment: Disaster Response 1

PSYC431 Assignment: Disaster Response 1

TEXT:

Reading

1. Behavioral Health Response to Disasters, Author: Framingham, Julie: Ch 1,2

Original Question:

For this week’s Forum, respond to the following:   The purpose of this discussion is twofold; first, to give us a chance to get to know each other and secondly, to become familiar with the history and aims of the psychology of disaster. As you may have done in other courses, by Wednesday evening of Week 1, please take the time to introduce yourself, completing our opening forum!

Share the following: Your name, where you are from, where you currently reside, what your interests (academic and non-academic) are and why you decided to take PSYC431?

For Part II….

Share comments on the psychologist’s, or other mental health professional and para-professional’s, role in a disaster situation based upon your prior knowledge and what you have gathered in this Quick-Link article, What Psychologists Do on Disaster Relief Operations, and other course materials from the week.

Remember to respond to at least three classmates during the week in the discussion forum.

References

Schwartzbard, R. (2014). What psychologists do on disaster relief operations. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/disaster-site.aspx

Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)

1.

My name is Andy, and I have been serving in the military for almost 14 years, and I am currently stationed in Fort Stewart Georgia, I am currently the Master Gunner for a Field Artillery Battalion, responsible for the battalion’s certification program, and looked to as the subject matter expert on all things artillery. I’ve been working on my college degree since initially 2007 which started as an associate’s degree in paralegal studies, and a few years ago changed my degree plan to one in Homeland Security.

Last year I was able to complete my associate’s degree in counter terrorism, and this seemed like the natural progression to move on to my Bachelors in Homeland Security. This is one of my last two classes in the degree and I am very excited to complete my degree. After completion I plan to continue my military service up to at least 20 years, but then after retiring there I would love to use this degree to land a position somewhere in an agency like the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives (BAFTE); either at a Federal or potentially a state level somewhere.

This summer I celebrated my 10th anniversary with my beautiful wife and we have one crazy little 7-year-old daughter who loves to keep life interesting for us, plus accounts for probably half of my gray hairs. In whatever spare time I do get, I enjoy being outdoors, I recently bought my first Jeep Wrangler, and a lot of my spare time has been going into buying and adding parts to that. Aside from my Jeep I enjoy firearms and training, I’m not a hunter personally, but I do enjoy target practicing and distance shooting, it is this interest that is most likely fueling my idea to work for BAFTE. I chose this class because I have always been fascinated with psychology, and the study of why people tend to think and feel the way they do. I look forward to working with all of you over the next 8 weeks, and potentially into the future if our degrees ever compel our paths to cross.

Having been deployed twice to combat operations, once in Iraq, and once in Afghanistan I have met with grief counselors, and psychologist in country to help us cope with traumatic events such as the loss of a fellow soldier. I know these professionals helped re-center some of my fellow battle buddies, and helped us all navigate through some of the feelings we were having. I think without these counselors our mission could have been severely compromised and many of my friends would not have been able to refocus themselves on what we needed to accomplish; and this could have lead to a tragic event compounding exponentially.

PSYC431 Assignment: Disaster Response 1

2.

My name is Megan Torres, I am a Coast Guard veteran. During my 9 years of active duty I served as an Operations Specialist, where I was stationed everywhere from a 378 ft High Endurance Cutter in Honolulu, HI to a Coast Guard Command Center in Cape Cod, MA. I was fortunate enough to travel all over the world from Japan to Hawaii to Central and Southern America. As an Operations Specialist I typically coordinated and dispatched search and rescue efforts. The best way to describe my job would be like a 911 dispatcher but for emergencies that happen on the water. Because of these experiences I am pursuing a degree in Emergency Management and would like to look for a job in the federal workplace or even enter back into the service as an officer.

My husband is also active duty Coast Guard, we have a 4 yo daughter and a baby boy on the way who is expected to arrive February 9th. We currently reside in sunny California and have been fortunate enough not to have been affected by any of the wildfires the state has currently been facing. We enjoy spending time with family and going to the beach, basically anything that involves water we enjoy.

Due to my experiences as a Search and Rescue coordinator I have been exposed to the psychological impacts a disaster can have on a person or group of people. Coasties are often tasked with recovering bodies and this can have negative effects on our crew members. I was also onboard the first responding coast guard vessel, when the catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, where the devestation was everywhere. During my active duty time I was also a qualified CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) team member, where we offered counseling services to active duty members who needed a place and person to talk to after a stressful incident.

I look forward to working with all of you in the future!

Warmly

Megan Torres

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PSYC431 Assignment: Disaster Response 1

3.

My name is Nikole and originally I am from a very small town in Oregon however I joined the Navy and I ended up in San Diego, CA and I have been here for about five years now. My academical interests are to finish my degree in Emergency and Disaster Management and continue on to a Master’s Program. I have not decided what that will be yet. I figure that I should finish one task before stressing out about another. My nonacademic interests are spending time with my family.

I just gave birth in November to my daughter and my husband and I are attempting to get as much time as a family together as possible. I also love anything outdoors and cooking. I decided to take PSYC431 mostly because it is a part of my degree plan but it is a class that I have been very excited to take. My career thus far has been in healthcare and I love the medical aspects of Emergency Management which would include behavior health / psychology. I am looking forward to the next 8 weeks!

The role of all mental health professionals in a disaster and post disaster situation is to provide support both emotional and mentally. Disasters can be crippling to individuals and to the community as a whole and it is important to consider not only the physical wellbeing of the residents but also their mental health status.  From what I have learned about in previous courses, and in my professional life, the world of behavioral and mental health has grown tremendously over the recent years.

It has become a standard practice to ensure that behavior health / mental health teams are deployed into disaster areas to provide support. They provide support to not only the general population who are suffer but also they can provide assistance to residents who suffer from mental health conditions and due to the disaster would be unable to see their regular doctor or receive their medications.

Emotional and mental health trauma and be just as devastating as a physical injury and it is thanks to mental health professionals that we are able to combat this.

-Nikole

References:

APA. (2014). What psychologists do on disaster relief operations. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/disaster-site.aspx

** Please don’t just rephrase their info, but respond to it. Remember to answer question at the end if there is one. **