Medical Family Therapy in Disaster Preparedness and Trauma-Response Teams

Abstract

Attention to mental health in disaster preparedness and trauma-response teams has increased considerably over the last decade. From the formal development and expansion of stand-alone teams and those positioned within existing care structures to the integration of Psychological First Aid (PFA) as part of standard education and preparation for first responders (e.g., police officers, firefighters), behavioral health clinicians (e.g., psychology, social work), and biomedical providers (e.g., emergency medicine, family medicine), it is clear that what once was a subspecialty advanced by a small collection of practitioners has now evolved to a mainstream standing within the broader arenas of the helping professions.