From Crisis to Recovery: Strategic Planning for Response, Resilience, and Recovery [Paperback]

George W. Doherty (Author), Bruce L. Andrews (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2009

Crises Happen... Will You Be Ready?

Crises affect people on many different levels, including psychological well-being. The 2004/2009 tsunamis, hurricanes Rita and Katrina, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are among events continuing to affect millions of lives daily. Potential events like Avian and Swine Flu pandemics, global warming/climate change and threats of spreading unrest in the Middle East are concerns weighing heavily on all. Planning and coordination are important components of responses to crises, disasters, and critical incidents.

Resilience, recovery from crises, community preparation, learning from past experience, and strategically planning for future events are all activities involving education, training and time of first responders, behavioral health professionals, chaplains and others.

Additional response variables include cultural knowledge and sensitivity. We need to respond appropriately within a culture not our own, whether locally, nationally, or internationally. The purpose of a behavioral health plan is to ensure efficient, coordinated and effective responses to behavioral health needs of affected populations during times of disasters and other critical incidents.

Readers of this book will:

Learn how the community and individuals respond to recover from disasters.

Identify activities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters.

Perform strategic planning and explain how it is helpful in mitigating and responding to disasters, critical incidents and other crises.

Understand the mental health services provided to people affected by disasters, critical incidents and other crises.

Identify and explain how disaster mental health professionals are affected by responding to disasters, critical incidents and other crises.

Understand the stages of disaster recovery and how resilience affects each stage.

Learn the signs and symptoms of disaster induced stress and emotional trauma and how resilience mitigates outcomes.

Discover the meaning of "Return to Equilibrium" and explain its role in the recovery process following a disaster or critical incident.

Praise for From Crisis to Recovery

"Mr. Doherty has produced an invaluable reference volume for everyone involved in disaster response/disaster preparedness field. It is a must for your library! His attention to detail, breadth of scope, depth of knowledge and readable writing style, reflect the work of an eminent scholar in his field and one who has paid his dues on the frontlines. It represents the ultimate A to Z 'How to Do It' manual in this difficult, complicated field. From the sensitive discussion of clinical issues to the organizational planning details, the clarity and thoroughness of this volume are outstanding. This book should be required reading for everyone involved in this critical field."
--John G. Jones, Ph.D. ABPP ATR-BC Licensed Psychologist

Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute at www.RMRinstitute.org

MED003010 Medical : Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services
SOC040000 Social Science : Disasters & Disaster Relief
PSY022040 Psychology : Psychopathology - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Rocky Mountain DMH Institute Press (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1615990151
• ISBN-13: 978-1615990153
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,269,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

George Doherty resides in Laramie, WY where he founded the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute, Inc. He is currently employed as the President/CEO of this organization and also serves as Clinical Coordinator of the Snowy Range Critical Incident Stress Management Team.

He has been involved with disaster relief since 1995, serving as a Disaster Mental Health Specialist with such incidents as the UP train wreck in Laramie, Hurricane Fran in North Carolina, the Cincinnati floods in Falmouth, KY and Tropical Storm Allison in Southeast Texas. He served as Supervisor for Disaster Mental Health for flash floods in Ft. Collins, and spent a month as the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Coordinator for western Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane George.

He has also published numerous articles in disaster mental health and traumatic stress publications and served as Guest Editor for 2 Special Editions of the journal Traumatology (1999 & 2004).

He served as an officer in the US Air Force and was an OTS instructor, squadron commander and other positions. Additionally, he served 11 years involved in Air Search & Rescue with Civil Air Patrol in WY as Squadron Commander, Deputy Wing Commander, Air Operations Officer, and Master Observer. Certified Instructor with the Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST).

He has extensive experience conducting CISM debriefings with first responders and others and is a member of a national crisis care network, providing assistance to companies and other organizations following critical incidents involving sudden deaths and similar traumatic events.

He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice and has been an adjunct instructor for a number of colleges, including Northern Nevada Community College and the University of Wyoming. Organizational memberships include the American Counseling Association, Voting Associate Member of the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AETS), Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists (ATSS), Traumatic Incident Reduction Association (TIRA), Certificate of Specialized Training in the field of Mass Disaster and Terrorism, Wyoming Department of Health Hospital Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee; Research Advisor and Research Fellow: American Biographical Institute (ABI), Editorial Advisory Board Member and Book Reviewer: PsyCritiques (APA Journal), Life Member of the Air Force Association, and Life Member of the Military Officers Association of America, Life Member: Pennsylvania State University Alumni Association, Alumni Admissions Volunteer - Pennsylvania State University.

Publications include: Crisis Intervention Training for Disaster Workers: An Introduction.; Editor and contributor for the Proceedings of Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Conferences (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008). Served as Guest Editor for Special issues of the journal Traumatology on Disaster Mental Health (1999) and Crises in Rural America (2004); Cross-cultural Counseling in Disaster Settings. - Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies (1999). Published reviews include: Understanding Oslo in Troubled Times; Responders to September 11, 2001: Counseling: Innovative Responses to 9/11 Firefighters, Families, and Communities; Genocide: A Human Condition?; Stress Management, Wellness and Organizational Health; Leadership Competency and Conflict; Leadership: Lessons from the Ancient World - all in PsyCritiques. Conference Director for annual Rocky Mountain Disaster Mental Health Conferences 1999 -present.

Additional past positions include: Masters Level Psychologist - Rural Clinics (State of Nevada), 1980 - 1986; Veterans Counselor (VA Contract) - 1980-1986, NV; Counselor - pre-delinquent children and families - CORA Services (Philadelphia, PA).1972-1975; Program Coordinator - Community Action Programs (EOAC, Office of Economic Opportunity - Waco/McLennan County, TX) 1968-1971.

Current Courses/Workshops he teaches include:

CRISIS INTERVENTION IN DISASTERS: TRAINING FOR WORKERS - AN INTRODUCTION - 12 CEU
CISM: INDIVIDUAL CRISIS INTERVENTION AND PEER SUPPORT CISM: GROUP CRISIS INTERVENTION
CISM: ADVANCED GROUP CRISIS INTERVENTION
CISM: Strategic Response to Crisis (Capstone Course)
* NEW: RETURN TO EQUILIBRIUM: Disaster Mental Health- 4 CEU
* NEW: RETURN TO EQUILIBRIUM: Returning Military And Families - 8 CEU
* From Crisis to Recovery:Strategic Planning for Response, Resilience and Recovery - 12 CEU

Email: [e-mail]
Mailing Address: Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-Researched and Complete Compilation of Crisis Recovery Planning, December 3, 2009

By 

Tyler R. Tichelaar "Superior Book Promotions ... (Marquette, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Crisis to Recovery: Strategic Planning for Response, Resilience, and Recovery (Paperback)

George W. Doherty continues his work of educating recovery workers so they can help themselves and those directly affected by crises in "From Crisis to Recovery: Strategic Planning for Response, Resilience, and Recovery." This book is a type of follow up to his earlier work, "Crisis Intervention Training for Disaster Workers: An Introduction." While Doherty covers some similar ground in this book, overall, the book is better organized and more reader-friendly, breaking down everything to be considered during a crisis to provide an effective response and recovery from the event.

The first chapter, "What is Stress?" is valuable to everyone, whether the person has been in a disaster, helped at a disaster, or just lived a normal life. While this chapter does not relate to disasters specifically, it is relevant to understand what is the natural level of stress people can handle and what are basic and effective methods of coping with stress, including effective breathing exercises. The many positive side effects of stress are also included because they propel us forward. As Doherty points out later in the book, humans prefer a certain level of risk, rather than stagnation, and if risk is not present, they will create a level of risk comfortable to them. I found all this information helpful in understanding my own stress and anxieties, and I feel better prepared for traumatic situations as a result of reading this book. I can see how this understanding of people's responses to stress is invaluable for understanding how they cope with disasters.

Anyone who will work with people during a crisis will find this book invaluable, especially team leaders who must prepare for all the various aspects of a crisis. As Doherty points out several times, it is important to understand that "No one who sees a disaster is untouched by it." Whether a person loses a home or loved one in the disaster, is part of relief and recovery efforts, or is simply part of the media reporting on the story, all these people have undergone a traumatic experience and need to know how to handle it. Doherty's explanations of understanding how different people cope with trauma, based on age and cultural background, make it clear one method does not fit everyone, one form of grief processing does not heal everyone grieving, and people have to consider the human and individual elements in the recovery process.

Throughout, the book offers practical steps for helping in a crisis. One excellent example was if a crisis worker is told about an elderly person having a difficult time dealing with the crisis, the worker can prioritize what otherwise would be overwhelming by focusing on immediate rather than secondary needs, immediate needs including medication, eyeglasses, and shelter; once immediate needs are determined, the easiest can be tackled first. I thought this suggestion was a practical and stress-relieving way to help the person suffering from the crisis. In addition, Doherty discusses helping children cope with the situation, as well as how disaster workers can explain their absence from home to their own children without traumatizing them with worry. In short, Doherty covers every possible scenario imaginable. I doubt there is anything he did not consider in writing this book. Much of the book seems like common sense, but the material is invaluable as a reminder of what needs to be done, which otherwise workers may not mentally be able to formulate for themselves in the midst of a crisis.

Doherty uses considerable research and references to real disasters ranging from September 11th to hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes to illustrate his points. While at times the book is a bit repetitive, and may also seem a little overwhelming to read from cover to cover, after one thorough read, I think it would serve as a quick and effective reference guide that crisis workers will return to again and again.

Beyond the book's main text, the appendices provide an enormous list of resources--they actually make up over a quarter of the book. Web sites, books, and phone numbers of emergency organizations are included as well as outlines of what is needed for planning consideration, structural organization, and guidelines for setting up processes. Examples of individual "After Action" reports and actual disaster plans are included.

George Doherty is the founder of the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute and its current president/CEO. He also serves as Clinical Coordinator of the Snow Range Critical Incident Stress Management Team. He has been involved in disaster relief since 1995 as a Disaster Mental Health Specialist who has helped people through disasters from train wrecks to hurricanes and flash floods. I admire his expertise, his courage in performing what has to be a traumatic job, and his willingness to share his knowledge to aid workers in helping others and themselves in the most effective ways possible so people can be resilient and recover from the unforeseen disasters they experience.

-- Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., author of the award-winning Narrow Lives