Assignemnt: Role of the Counselor in Crisis Response

Part 1: Interview

To learn more about crisis intervention and trauma-informed community-based strategies (such as Psychological First Aid), contact a licensed professional individual to interview, in person or on the telephone, who knows of an existing crisis response plan. Identify the person you interview and their specific job or role, such as crisis counselor or a member of the Red Cross or Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or therapists who work with victims of PTSD or are involved in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), and arrange an interview. Once you arrange a personal interview, develop a set of open-ended questions that will allow you to gain a clear and complete picture of the plan as it currently exists. (See the sample interview questions provided within the assignment.)

Ask your interviewee to give you a specific example of an actual crisis and the details of the various roles that are involved in the plan that is utilized, including any mental health professional. Examine what you are told by the interviewee, and compare it to the identified elements recommended for response plans in the Mental Health All-Hazards Disaster Planning Guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS, 2003), provided in the Resources.

Part 2: Description and Analysis

Describe and analyze a counselor's role and responsibilities as a member of interdisciplinary community outreach and emergency management response teams in a crisis response. Summarize the responsibilities of the counselor within the mental health component of the crisis response system in order to identify the type of necessary training for the role of the counselor.

To successfully complete this project, you will be expected to do the following:

1. Compare and contrast the elements of a real-world example of an emergency management plan, obtained through your personal interview of a professional in the field, to the elements identified in the course studies, particularly the Mental Health All-Hazards Disaster Planning Guidance (USDHHS, 2003), provided in the Resources.

2. Summarize the responsibilities of the counselor, including the professional role, functions, and relationships as a member of a crisis response plan during a local, regional, or national crisis, disaster, or other trauma-causing event (CACREP, 2016).

3. Describe in detail the specific skills and knowledge required by a counselor in order to function effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary emergency management response team.

4. Describe the types of training a counselor requires to develop the required skills and knowledge relevant to emergency management.

5. Exhibit proficiency in effective, credible academic writing and critical thinking skills.