Question

explain why natural and man-made disasters, crises, and other trauma-causing events have become a focus of the clinical mental health counseling profession and why there is an increased focus on the mental health of the survivors. Explain the potential implications of this focus on the mental health counseling profession.

Answer 1

Over the years there has been an increase in the traumatic events experienced by general public. There have been many incidences where either natural disasters or man-made disasters have claimed lives of many individuals. The families of died people are rendered with memories of disaster and the loss of their near and dear ones. In such a scenario, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is bound to happen to the affected persons.

Exposure to disasters, being either a victim or a witness, definitely affects the mental health of the individuals at stake. Therefore, emphasis is now laid on helping people deal with such issues. Dealing with loss and grief is difficult at times for such persons. Giving them an enabling environment where they receive skills to deal with the loss, is therefore, required by them and must be given by the mental health professionals.

The potential implications of this shift will be creation of an enabling environment for the affected individuals which will help them to deal with loss.