Guidelines and manuals
Natural disasters have significant psychological and social impacts on affected populations. Protecting and improving mental health requires coordinated action and a multi-sectoral framework. These guidelines aim to fill that gap by reflecting good practices and recommending interventions.
DISASTERS
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This is the main page of NCTSN concerning Natural Disasters. It provides the most important links under this topic – earthquakes, epidemics, fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis. Under each of these pages, you will find lots of very use...
Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7
OCHA
This section provides an overview of OCHA’s mandate, its leadership and how it is funded. It also includes a detailed section on OCHA’s flagship and thematic publications, and on the Agenda for Humanity – a plan put forward by the UN Secretary-...
Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in...
2007IASC
Reading the full IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings from cover to cover may not be possible during an emergency. This limitation led to the development of this field version, which may be used as a check-l...
Psychosocial responses to disaster: An Asian perspectiv...
2008Asian Journal of Psychiatry
More than 100,000 people have been unsettled in the Tsunami hit Cuddalore district in Tamilnadu, India. The Academy for Disaster Management Education, Planning & Training (ADEPT) coordinated with a group of major charitable hospitals from all ov...
Coping With Disasters – a Guidebook to Psychosoci...
2001John H. Ehrenreich
This manual is a guide to psychosocial interventions to help people cope with the emotional effects of disasters.
The Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived Needs Sca...
WHO
The HESPER Scale was developed to fill the gap between the population-based objective indicators (for example malnutrition or mortality indicators), and the qualitative data based on convenience samples (for example through focus groups or key info...
Mental health and social health after acute emergencies
2005Ommeren, Saxcena & Saraceno, Round Table WHO Bulletin
This represents a short overview and consensus about best to cope with disasters, both practical topics and mentioning the necessary social support.
Post-traumatic stress disorder in children following na...
2015Terasaka, Tachibana, Okuyama, and Igarashi
The objective of this article was to conduct a systematic review of long-term follow-up studies on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children and adolescents. The MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched from 1980 through January ...
Natural disasters: Overview
American psychological association
This website under the American Psychological Association provides a good overview of the effects of disasters on people’s psyche. It gathers lots of relevant links under the topics of coping with disaster, how psychologists help, and some updated ne...
Mind/body health: The effects of traumatic stress
2010American psychological association
his article is a “fact sheet” presenting to the target group of survivors an overview about symptoms, effects otherwise, and coping strategies.
Psychosocial aspects of the Tsunami
2005IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support
Factsheet (1 p.) ”what you can do right now to support wellbeing” – very practically how-to-do after a disaster had occurred, f.e. how to talk to survivors. Not only after Tsunamis.
Psychosocial interventions – training manual
Save the children UK, Fouzia Yasmin
This training workshop module intended as a guide to train people in how to respond to the psychosocial effects of disasters. It aims to help psycho-social program administrators and trainers to give training to their staff in understanding how disas...
Psychosocial interventions – A handbook
2009IFRC
This handbook (198 p.) presents very solid information and how-to-do about coping with disasters and their psychological effects. Focus on psychosocial support and how to organize: assessments, planning, implementation, training, and monitoring. Targ...
Handbook for Coordinating Gender Based Violence interve...
2010Gender-based Violence Area of Responsibility Working Group
This handbook is meant to be a quick-reference tool that provides practical guidance on leadership roles, key responsibilities and specific actions to be taken when establishing and maintaining a GBV coordination mechanism in an emergency. The handbo...
Psychological First Aid Field Operation Guide
National Child Traumatic Stress Network – National Center for PTSD.
Gives guidance on responding to disaster or terrorism events using the Psychological First Aid intervention. This evidence-informed approach helps to assist children, adolescents, adults, and families in the aftermath of disaster and terrorism. The m...
Field Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Worker...
2000SAMHSA
This Field Manual is intended for mental health workers and other human service providers who assist survivors following a disaster. This pocket reference provides the basics of disaster mental health, with numerous specific and practical suggestions...
Manuals to help children cope with their reaction to wa...
Children and War Foundation
This manual and accompanying workbook will help you to provide assistance for large numbers of children as quickly as possible. It is designed to help you teach children in a step by step practical way to develop some skills and techniques which are ...
Guidelines for psychological services in disasters
Emergency Management Australia
The Guidelines have been developed to offer service providers, managers and practitioners with insights, principles and strategies in key facets of assessment and delivery of psychological services in the disaster context. Their aims are to facilitat...
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and...
National Institute of Mental Health, USA
The purpose of this fact sheet is to tell what is known about the impact of violence and disasters on children and adolescents and suggest steps to minimize long-term emotional harm.
Implementation Guidelines for Psychosocial Support in D...
2008Turkish Red Crescent
This guideline aim to provide guidance to field relief workers and volunteers. Being a reference work prepared based on the experiences and assessments of our specialists, these guidelines draw the general framework of psyscho-social support and prov...
Managing Traumatic Stress: Tips for Recovering From Nat...
2005APA Help Center
When a natural disaster affects a community, the resulting trauma can reverberate even with those not directly affected by the disaster.Disasters of this type can be sudden and overwhelming. In addition to the often catastrophic toll on lives and pro...
Building Back Better: Sustainable Mental Health Care af...
World Health Organization (WHO), 2013
This WHO report shares detailed accounts from 10 diverse emergency-affected areas, each of which built better-quality and more sustainable mental health systems despite challenging circumstances. Cases originate from countries small to large; low to ...
Caring for Kids After Trauma, Disaster and Death
2006Changing the Face of Child Mental Health
What to Expect After Trauma: Possible Reactions in Elementary School Students.
Disaster Mental Health Services: A Guidebook for Clinic...
National Center for PTSD
Each day disasters occur, and each year millions of people are affected. Whether natural or human-made, the extreme and overwhelming forces of disaster can have far-reaching effects on individual, local community, and national stability.
Protecting Persons Affected By Natural Disasters
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
Floods, earthquakes and storms have routinely displaced tens of thousands around the world. Over the past few years, the international communitys response to these catastrophes has become ever swifter and more sophisticated. Until very recently, how...
Rapid Assessments of Mental Health Needs After Disaster...
Derrick Silove and Richard Bryant
Screening for PTSD among survivors of disasters in developing countries, especially in acute situations, has faced a number of common criticisms; psychological trauma is a western concept that may be unfamiliar to other cultures. PTSD has limited dia...
Preparing and preventing
Preparing and preventing mental health issues and promoting well-being ahead of humanitarian crises is crucial for mitigating the impact of such emergencies on individuals and communities. Several guidelines and manuals offer valuable insights and strategies for this purpose
Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030
2013-2030World Health Organization
This action plan outlines strategies for promoting mental health and well-being, including preparedness and prevention measures. It emphasizes the importance of integrating mental health into public health and emergency response frameworks.
Community-based Psychosocial Support – Facilitato...
2009Louise Lindal, Ea Suzanne Akasha
Produced by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), this manual provides a framework for implementing community-based psychosocial support programs. It focuses on building community resilience and fostering social support networks to enha...
Перша психологічна допомога. Посібник фасилітатора з ор...
2011WHO, World Vision, War Trauma Foundation
У цьому посібнику описані принципи надання першої психологічної допомоги, яка включає гуманну, підтримуючу та практичну допомогу людям, постраждалим від складних кризових ситуацій. Посібник призначений тим, хто має можливість надавати допомогу людям,...
A Resilience Approach
Mercy Corps
Developed by Mercy Corps, this guide offers practical tools and methodologies for integrating resilience-building approaches into humanitarian programming. It emphasizes the importance of addressing psychosocial and mental health needs as part of res...
Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Stand...
2018Sphere
he Sphere Handbook provides a set of minimum standards for humanitarian response, including standards related to mental health and psychosocial support. It emphasizes the importance of preparedness and prevention measures to address the psychosocial ...
Mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies
2020UNICEF
UNICEF has developed a framework that outlines principles and strategies for providing mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings. It includes recommendations for preparedness and prevention activities aimed at promoting the well...
Preparing for crises in the schools: A manual for build...
2001Stephen E. Brock, Jonathan Sandoval, Sharon Lewis
This manual, developed by UNESCO and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, provides guidance for educators on preparing children and schools for crisis situations. It includes strategies for promoting mental well-being and resilience among...
The Psychological First Aid for Schools Field Operation...
2012National Child Traumatic Stress Network National Center for PTSD (NCTSN)
Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) is an evidence-informed intervention model to assist students, families, school personnel, and school partners in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. PFA-S is designed to reduce the initial distress ca...
Emergency mental health and psychosocial support
2007The Johns Hopkins and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Public health guide for emergencies Chapter 5 This chapter is as a guide for setting up mental health and psychosocial programmes for vulnerable populations in developing countries who are or have been exposed to crisis events. It describes the psy...
Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
2017International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Guideline by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Rates of mental health problems often increase during natural disasters, war and conflict, and pre-existing disorders may also resurface or be exacerbated by conflict or violence. Although pe...
IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Suppo...
2007IASC
These guidelines reflect the insights of practitioners from different geographic regions, disciplines and sectors, and reflect an emerging consensus on good practice among practitioners. The core idea behind them is that, in the early phase of an eme...
Children and disaster
Children exposed to extraordinary events like disasters may struggle to understand and cope, experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, and bereavement. Psychosocial manifestations vary based on the nature of the disaster, exposure level, personal impact, and individual resilience.
Caring for Kids After Trauma, Disaster and Death
2006Changing the Face of Child Mental Health
What to Expect After Trauma: Possible Reactions in Elementary School Students.
Inter-Agency Guiding Principles on unaccompanied and se...
2014Inter-agency Working Group on Unaccompanied and Separated Children, UNICEF
Children separated from their parents and families because of conflict, population displacement or natural disasters are among the most vulnerable. Separated from those closest to them, these children have lost the care and protection of their famili...
Save the Children Psychological First Aid Training
2013Save the Children
The Psychological First Aid Training Manual for Child Practitioners (PFA), aims to develop skills and competences of Save the Children staff, partners, and professionals in reducing the initial distress of children who have recently been exposed to a...
Emergency mental health and psychosocial support
2007The Johns Hopkins and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Public health guide for emergencies Chapter 5 This chapter is as a guide for setting up mental health and psychosocial programmes for vulnerable populations in developing countries who are or have been exposed to crisis events. It describes the psy...
DiHealing after Trauma Skills – a Manual for Profession...
2005 Gurwich & Messenbaugh, Univ. of Oklahoma,
Very good manual (104 p.) with a description of symptoms that may occur in children after the disaster, identifying the severity of the disease, and suggestions on how to cope/treat. Detailed instructions, how-to-do step-by-step, can be used as a wor...
Children In Disasters: Teachers and Childcare
2021CDC
Emergencies and disasters can happen during the school day. Taking steps now can help protect the students in your care.
Helping Your Child Cope with a Disaster
2018CDC
Disasters are stressful events that can cause substantial harm to communities and families. After a disaster, children may develop symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Mental health plays an important role in physical ...
Manuals to help children cope with their reaction to wa...
Children and War Foundation
This manual and accompanying workbook will help you to provide assistance for large numbers of children as quickly as possible. It is designed to help you teach children in a step by step practical way to develop some skills and techniques which are ...
Helping Children After a Natural Disaster: Information ...
P.J. Lazarus, S.R. Jimerson, S. E. Brock, NCSP
Natural disasters can be especially traumatic for children and youth. Experiencing a dangerous or violent flood, storm, or earthquake is frightening even for adults, and the devastation to the familiar environment (i.e., home and community) can be lo...
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and...
National Institute of Mental Health, USA
The purpose of this fact sheet is to tell what is known about the impact of violence and disasters on children and adolescents and suggest steps to minimize long-term emotional harm.
Helping children overcome disaster trauma through post-...
Robert Henley, SAD
The primary aim of this report is to review possible theoretical underpinnings and practical methods utilized by psychosocial sports programs in helping children traumatized in disaster. The method of assessment will be to examine existing research a...
Mental health and psychosocial care for children affect...
2005WHO
This document contains information for humanitarian aid workers, health professionals, teachers, and parents to support them in their efforts to provide sensitive and appropriate care for children affected by natural disasters. An integrated, communi...
Reactions and Guidelines for Children Following Trauma/...
2006American Psychological Association
What to Expect After Trauma: Possible reactions in elementary school, middle school and high school students and teachers Guidelines for teachers.
Organisations and sites
There are several organizations that for decades have been dedicated to providing support to people affected by disasters in places around the world. Both experts and hundreds of volunteers who respond to emergencies work there.
Center for disease control and prevention
This is a very central site where you can find an overview of preparedness for all hazards (with the preparation and planning of the topics, surveillance, training and education, coping with a disaster, clinicians, healthcare facilities, labs, and re...
The Sphere Project
The Sphere Project provides “humanitarian charter and minimum standards in disaster response”. This is a great international collaboration where hundreds of national and international NGOs, UN agencies, academic institutions as well as individuals ca...
Disaster Mental Health Institute (DMHI)
The DMHI was founded in 1993, and was designated a South Dakota Board of Regents Center of Excellence in 1997. The mission of the DMHI is the promotion, development, and application of both practice and research in disaster mental health.
Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7
OCHA
This section provides an overview of OCHA’s mandate, its leadership and how it is funded. It also includes a detailed section on OCHA’s flagship and thematic publications, and on the Agenda for Humanity – a plan put forward by the UN Secretary-...
Relief Web
This site is administered by the UN Office for coordination of human affairs OCHA, and defines itself as an “independent vehicle of information, designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in delivering of emergency assis...
HumanitarianResponse
The HumanitarianResponse.info platform is provided to the humanitarian community by OCHA as a means to help responders coordinate their work on the ground. This site is administered by the UN Office for coordination of human affairs OCHA, and defines...
IFRC emergencies
The Psychosocial Centre of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies focuses on contemporary psychosocial support programs and activities, including specific projects, assessments and evaluations. New initiatives and develo...
UNICEF
UNICEF provides assistance to children and families affected by emergencies, including natural disasters and conflicts.
UNHCR The United Nations Refugee Agency
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious violation of human rights and a life-threatening health and protection issue. When people flee their homes, they are often at greater risk of physical, sexual and psychological violence, such as rape, sexual a...
Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
MSF provides medical assistance during emergencies and disasters in affected regions.
ICRC International Committee of The Red Cross
Page on Addressing sexual violence Sexual violence – this remains widespread and prevalent during armed conflicts and other situations of violence, as well as in detention despite being prohibited by international and national laws. It occurs i...
Save the Children
This organization works to protect and support children affected by disasters and emergencies worldwide.
CARE International
CARE responds to disasters and emergencies, providing humanitarian assistance and supporting long-term recovery efforts.
Mercy Corps
At Mercy Corps, we seek solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. To take on the consequences of conflict and climate change, we bring together bold ideas and the lived experience of people who know their communities best—scaling what works to ac...
Plan International
We are relentless in driving change to advance children’s rights and equality for girls by working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.
Oxfam
Oxfam responds to emergencies and disasters, providing essential aid and working on long-term recovery and development projects.
ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice.
The International Rescue Committee IRC
Responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future.
Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS)
GDACS is a cooperation framework between the United Nations, the European Commission, and disaster managers worldwide to improve alerts, information exchange, and coordination in the response phase of emergencies.
ShelterBox
Shelter is so much more than just a roof. It’s the foundation for life, families and communities. It is a place to feel safe after days or weeks of fear. It offers protection from harsh weather, privacy, and helps to preserve dignity. It’s a space to...
WHO – Health and Human Rights
WHO is actively strengthening its role in providing technical, intellectual and political leadership in the field of health and human rights. The main objectives are to: * Strengthen WHO`s capacity to integrate a human rights-based approach in its w...