In recent years, many disaster response experts and mental health researchers have switched their focus from looking exclusively at at-risk populations in the aftermath of an emergency to asking, “What are the protective factors?” “What situations, experiences, or personal traits help people to come through a traumatic incident with greater resilience?” First, let’s clear what […]
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Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
How to Gain Strength from Adversity
Most of us would have heard the saying, “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” While the optimist in us will hope this saying holds true, it now seems there is some more veracity to this claim. Since the 1990s, there has been huge interest in the question of whether, after a trauma, we must […]
- May 25, 2015
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- Personal Effectiveness, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health, Wellness
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Common Stages of Disaster Recovery
Disasters and mass disruptive events can be extremely unpredictable and chaotic. Even though that is a valid characterisation of catastrophe, disaster experts have discerned a general pattern or cycle of phases that a community and the individuals in it go through from the time of impact of a disaster to establishing a newly reconstructed life. […]
- May 26, 2014
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- Counselling Theory & Process, Loss & Grief, Multicultural Issues, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Common Misconceptions About Suicide
The World Health Organization estimates that about million people die by suicide each year (World Health Organization, 2004). Understanding what drives people to take their own life is not easy for those who are not enmeshed in intolerable pain themselves; thus, myths and misconceptions tend to proliferate about this very final act. It is important […]
- May 6, 2014
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- Clinical Mental Health, Relationship & Families, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Core Actions of Psychological First Aid
In the first video of this two-part series (Principles of Psychological First Aid), Richard Hill looked at the five principles that are the basis for all Psychological First Aid: that is, promoting safety, calmness, self-efficacy, connectedness, and hope. In this talk, Richard will be putting you into the field: that is, the explorations will take […]
- April 11, 2014
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- Counselling Theory & Process, Loss & Grief, Multicultural Issues, Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health, Videos
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Principles of Psychological First Aid
Psychological First Aid is a means of providing psychosocial support to individuals and families immediately after a disaster, terrorist or traumatic event, or other emergency. It consists of a set of helping actions which are systematically undertaken in order to reduce initial post-trauma distress and to support short- and long-term adaptive functioning. Based on the […]
- April 4, 2014
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Enhancing Resilience
Have you ever wondered what it takes to survive, or even better, to thrive? Clearly, this might be a life-or-death skill!?In this video, Richard Hill talks about how you can enhance resilience: in yourself, your friends and loved ones, or – if you are a mental health helper – in your clients. Source: www.aipc.net.au/youtube
- March 7, 2014
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- Personal Effectiveness, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health, Videos, Wellness
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Psychological First Aid Program Released
Mental Health Academy – the largest provider of continuing professional development (CPD) education for the mental health industry in Australia – have just released a comprehensive program focusing on Psychological First Aid in disaster relief settings or situations of narrower-scale adversity. The Psychological First Aid program is a quality 10-hour course developed by MHA in […]
- September 24, 2013
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- News & Events, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Social Support Development Skills
The saying that “no man is an island” seems not truer anywhere than in the realm of resilience. Happiness author and business coach Alvah Parker lists ten traits of resilient, happy people. In the very first one she notes that resilient people “are strong people who realize the importance of having a good social support […]
- February 28, 2013
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- Multicultural Issues, Personal Effectiveness, Relationship & Families, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Book Review: Back from the Edge
Publisher: Cape Catley Ltd ISBN: 978-1-877340-22-2 Publication: September 2009 Rob Hewitt was drawn from the water after 75 hours at sea. His skin had begun to separate from his body, his mind was barely holding on – but he survived. People said it was like a miracle. How did he do it, how did he […]
- August 8, 2011
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- Book Reviews, Personal Effectiveness, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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The Aftermath of a Critical Incident
When we experience a threatening event, our bodies automatically respond in a way that allows us to protect ourselves or escape from the situation. This fight or flight involves an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and breathing rate. All these changes help us to physically deal with danger or leave the situation […]
- October 14, 2010
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- Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Critical Incident Counselling
Over time, the distinction between the three terms, stress, traumatic stress, and crisis, have become blurred, thus numerous professionals started using these terms synonymously. Some authors specifically indicate that they deal with both stress and developmental crisis, but do not make distinctions between these terms/concepts. Others define their work as dealing with crisis, but take […]
- September 21, 2010
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- Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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Reasons for Unresolved/Complicated Grief
In this post we explore psychological and social factors that may contribute to unresolved/complicated grief. Click here for a list of symptoms and behaviours of unresolved/complicated grief. Psychological factors Anger and guilt can often be a key source of adjustment difficulties in the process of grief. Guilt can inhibit the grief process if mourners are unable […]
- August 18, 2010
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- Loss & Grief, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is an adaptive reaction that everyone experiences from time to time, including animals. Anxiety alarms us of situations and circumstances that involve some threat of danger, and it enables our body to respond in ways that help keep us safe. This response is a useful survival mechanism, helping us to avoid or even prevent […]
- January 4, 2010
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- Clinical Mental Health, Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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The General Adaptation Syndrome
General adaptation syndrome describes the body’s short-term and long-term reaction to stress. Originally described by Hans De Solye in the 1920s, the general adaptation syndrome describes a three stage reaction to stress covering our initial reaction to the stressor, our resistance and adaptation to coping with the stressor and our eventual exhaustion after dealing with […]
- December 10, 2009
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- Counselling Theory & Process, Stress Management, Trauma & Disaster Mental Health
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