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Dear Crisis Counselor:
The past several months have been very active for New Jersey's disaster mental health system. In early summer four counties along the Delaware River received Presidential Declarations of Disaster following the flooding of several riverfront communities. In late summer, Crisis Counselors provided mental health support services to incoming Lebanese evacuees landing at McGuire Air Base. And all throughout this time, members of the disaster mental health responder community have been playing an active role in pandemic influenza planning and the overall disaster and terrorism readiness process statewide.
Please enjoy this issue of New Jersey Crisis Counselor and catch up on some of the news from our Crisis Counselor community. Please pay special attention to the first article which discusses new developments in the statewide disaster mental health responder credentialing process. This important information pertains to every crisis counselor who wishes to become active or remain active, as a ready resource to respond to disasters within New Jersey and beyond.
Thank you as always for your dedication to helping New Jersey remain ready for whatever challenges lay ahead!
Best regards,
Kevin Martone,
Assistant Commissioner
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Disaster & Terrorism Branch Moves Forward with Credentialing
Process |
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The Division of Mental Health Services, Disaster
and Terrorism Branch, undertook a pilot project
to credential disaster mental health workers
in 2005. Five counties participated in the
final pilot (Essex, Morris, Ocean, Passaic
and Monmouth), which constitutes Phase I of
this project. Phase I involves the review
of county call-up rosters through a standardized
process. The mental health administrator in
each county appoints a local review panel
of seasoned clinicians and directors with
expertise in disaster mental health and trauma.
All participants who are interested in serving
on the state’s disaster mental health
response network then complete an application,
which is reviewed by the expert panel The
panel identifies the competencies reflected
in the roster as well as any gaps in specific
services that may be needed in the county’s
ongoing disaster response (e.g., specialized
skills in working with children, older adults,
substance abuse issues, etc.). Identifying
such gaps assists in recruitment and planning
training activities.
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| Caution about Medications for Disaster-related Anxiety |
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Disasters, whether manmade or natural, leave
some people to deal with severe symptoms of
anxiety and post-traumatic stress that they,
quite appropriately, feel are beyond their
coping abilities. Thankfully, many of those
impacted seek out help from professionals.
While most people will resume a normal level
of functioning with some minor intervention,
others find that they need further intervention.
There are various treatment methods for treating
anxiety disorders and PTSD and everyone must
decide which will be best for their specific
symptoms.
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| Crisis Counselors Assist Evacuees from Lebanon |
As the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel
intensified through July and August, U.S.
officials launched what was thought to be
the largest evacuation since Americans exited
Liberia a decade ago. State Department officials
estimated that roughly 25,000 Americans
were in Lebanon when hostilities suddenly
escalated. On Saturday, July 22, flights
carrying evacuees began arriving at McGuire
Air Force Base in Central New Jersey. As
part of the overall humanitarian assistance
effort, the New Jersey Division of Mental
Health Services-Disaster & Terrorism
Branch coordinated crisis counseling services
at the Repatriation Center set up at the
base. Counselors also received evacuees
who were bussed from the base to Newark
Liberty airport. Crisis counseling was available
around the clock through Tuesday, July 25,
as flights continued to arrive throughout
the day and night. Nearly 1,000 evacuees
received psychosocial support from counselors
positioned in the base passenger terminal.
More about support for evacuees....
A Guide to FEMA's Virtual Campus: Navigating the Online NIMS
Training Program
 The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Virtual Campus provides a comprehensive
menu of online training programs in a variety
of emergency management topics. Many disaster
responders, including mental health responders,
have attempted to take the Incident Command
System-ICS 100 and National Incident Management
System-NIMS 700, and have found the Virtual
Campus tricky to navigate. The Disaster
& Terrorism Branch has developed an
online tutorial to help orient students
to the Virtual Campus environment. The narrated
orientation takes about 20 minutes to complete,
and while it is not required, it may help
students move more quickly and smoothly
through their distance learning experience.
You can take the self-paced, online orientation
by clicking on the link below.
 The
editors of New Jersey Crisis Counselor
are seeking articles and story ideas
for future issues. Stories can address any
aspect of disaster mental health, traumatic
stress response, crisis or emergency management,
that would further the knowledge or skills
disaster mental health responders.
Please submit your article ideas to mhsttag@dhs.state.nj.us. A representative of the editorial team will get back to you with feedback and guidance for developing those story ideas selected for publication.
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| In the Counties: Spotlight on Atlantic |
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Atlantic City is an American icon recognized
worldwide. When people think of Atlantic City,
they think of the Miss America pageant, bustling
boardwalk and casinos, and of course, the
real estate that defines the timeless game
of Monopoly. As a symbol of American culture,
Atlantic City is recognized as a target of
terrorism. Located on one of New Jersey’s
barrier islands, Atlantic City, and surrounding
Atlantic County can also potentially land
in the cross hairs of a hurricane or major
coastal storm. Atlantic County has many unique
risks and resources when it comes to emergency
management. Among those resources is the Atlantic
County Emergency Mental Health Response Team.
In this edition of New Jersey Crisis Counselor,
we will shine the spotlight on Atlantic County,
and feature an interview with Mental Health
Administrator Sally Williams, who serves as
the Coordinator of the Emergency Mental Health
Response Team.
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