SOCW 6336 WK1 Assgn1 Responses Ask a probi

By Day 4

Post a brief description of each of the two critical incidents you selected to which helping professionals respond. Then, explain the similarities and differences between the roles and responsibilities of those responders. Finally, share the insights you gained or conclusions you drew based on the comparison.

Student 1-Madison

COLLAPSE

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Post a brief description of each of the two critical incidents you selected to which helping professionals respond. 

Incident 1: Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut in October of 2012. It made landfall in South Jersey on October 29th and caused $70.2 billion worth of damage, left 8.5 million people without power, destroyed 650,000 homes, and killed at least 72 people (Peer, 2021).

Incident 2: A coworker unexpectedly commits suicide after being sexually assualted by a superior. This coworker was friendly and never presented with feelings of stress or unhappiness. They were friendly but not close with any of the coworkers. The superior has now been fired but has left a lingering presence, causing employees to feel unsafe and reluctant to come into work. This sudden event resulted in co-workers feeling overwhelmed, scared, helpless, and a complete lack of control (The UN Refugee Agency, n.d.). It can leave people feeling unsafe and under an intense amount of distress.

Then, explain the similarities and differences between the roles and responsibilities of those responders. 

In the case of Hurricane Sandy, helping professionals, like social workers, have several roles. They could help with case management, by finding several different services that will be accessible and useful for the client and their needs after a disaster (i.e. homeless shelters, relocation, food pantries, etc.) (Yeshiva University, 2019). This is different from Situation 2 because instead of providing case management to one person or group, the individual will be providing it to the entire office. Some people might need more assistance than others. For example, after a situation as sensitive as this one, the helping professional will need to be able to identify anyone exhibiting signs of suicide or risk of harm (SocialWorkDegreeCenter.com, 2022).

Another important role could be through case finding, this requires the helping professional to inform the victims of disaster of the possible relief services and any other resources that are accessible to them (Yeshiva University, 2019). This is similar to the second situation because the helping professional is providing education. As a helping professional it is their duty to educate the people in the workplace about suicide, mental health, and the available resources that are available to them (SocialWorkDegreeCenter.com, 2022). This also includes outreach, one needs to provide services to these people in an accessible, convenient, and helpful manner (Yeshiva University, 2019). In both situations, the helping professional will need to provide various forms of outreach, as each person will need something different. People process loss and trauma in different ways, this will require unique solutions and resources for their needs.

Furthermore, these victims will require advocacy. Being an advocate for the people suffering from the hurricane will require helping the clients navigate the various services and complicated situations that they are about to face (i.e. insurance, relief programs, support groups, counseling, shelters, etc.) (Yeshiva University, 2019). This is also true for the people in the second situation.. However, they will require assistance in a different way. They could be more focused on mental health, counseling, support groups, and education on suicide and how to prevent it.

Additionally, a helping professional could partake in brokering. This involves moving the victims around to different programs to better meet their needs after the disaster (Yeshiva University, 2019). This will also apply to Situation 2, after a traumatic experience like this one, the clients will respond in various ways. These responses could warrant resources and services outside of the scope of expertise of the helping professional and will require assistance from someone else. The helping professional could refer the victim to someone else who is better suited to their needs.

Finally, share the insights you gained or conclusions you drew based on the comparison.

Before educating myself on critical incidents, I had thought that social workers and helping professionals had very different responsibilities depending on their situational severity. Although that is partially still true, I have now come to realize that these helping professionals play many of the same roles, while applying their skills to the particular situation. These types of unexpected and traumatic events can leave people distressed, disheveled, lost, out of control, and more. These helping professionals are trying to minimize the negative impact on these victims and help them access resources that they will need that are unique to them and their specific situation. Everyone responds to disaster and trauma differently, therefore, every situation will require different resources and forms of aid. However, although these situations are all different, the roles at the social workers and helping professionals play are fairly similar. At the end of the day these helping professionals are using their skills to provide aid and help these victims, in all forms of incidents, to cope with their crises.

References

Peer, A. (2021, June 15). 2012 Hurricane Sandy: Facts, faqs, and how to help. World Vision.  https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2012-hurricane-sandy-facts#:~:text=Also%20called%20Superstorm%20Sandy%2C%20it,of%20at%20least%2072%20Americans.  

SocialWorkDegreeCenter.com. (2022). Suicide prevention in social work. Social Work Degree Center.  https://www.socialworkdegreecenter.com/study/suicide-prevention-social-work/  

The UN Refugee Agency. (n.d.). Emergency handbook. UNHCR.  https://emergency.unhcr.org/entry/34679/dealing-with-critical-incidents-and-trauma-staff  

Yeshiva University. (2019). Disaster Relief Social Workers and their roles. Yeshiva.  https://online.yu.edu/wurzweiler/blog/disaster-relief-social-workers-and-their-roles  

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Student 2- Briana

Within my current position, I work with Children with mental illnesses. Aside from the other ways I assist them, one of them is intervening in a crisis. This looks a few different ways, I sometimes get calls to work through or process crisis incidents, or direct parents with what to do next during a crisis in their home with their children. I have also utilized de-escalation techniques while witnessing a crisis while meeting with a kiddo. The crisis situations I’ve witnessed have varied, as I’ve worked with both adults and children in various stages of their lives in different crisis situations. Continued education on how to process and assist in crisis intervention is beneficial on all levels in every system.  

Incident One 

One incident I’ve been involved in was working at a domestic violence shelter for women and children. These women were coming into this shelter in a state of crisis. James & Gilliand (2017) define crisis in several ways including “the nature of the event changes priorities and values and there is no know of how to respond to a situation, a situation that immobilizes people” (pg. 8). These women and children had to prioritize safety and shelter- basic needs that had been met prior to having to flee their homes. As a crisis response individual, I went out to the scene of the domestic violence incident. I worked with the woman on processing what had happened to be constructive for the police report, as well as brought the family to the shelter to be safe. This included validating, empathizing with the woman as she had to relive the incident that had occurred, and meeting their basic needs to assist in de-escalation.  

Incident Two 

I will use another personal experience regarding crisis interventions. I was doing a ride-along pertaining to training and rode with police and their crisis intervention team for the evening shift. There was a call responded to regarding a mental health crisis, in the form of a needed welfare check. Upon arriving, police and crisis response intervened with an individual who had been off their medication for some time and was having suicidal/homicidal ideation. This looked like police standing by for safety concerns and the crisis intervention worker assisting the individual. They sat down with this individual, assisted in thought processing and problem-solving skills and de-escalated the situation to get the person to the hospital and not in a cop car as a punishment.  

 Similarities and Differences Between the Roles and Responsibilities of Those Responders & Insights 

Both these incident explanations involved de-escalation of some sort. It included a worker getting down to the level of the person of focus and assisting in their needs at this time. Sometimes they weren’t even aware of what those needs may be. “Crisis is the perception or experiencing of an event or situation as an intolerable difficulty that exceeds the persons’ current resources and coping mechanisms” (James & Gilliland, 2017). This was modeled by the interventionalist attempting to make a connection with the person to assist in their perception of how difficult the situation is, andt heir control around it.  

Both incidents needed individuals who are knowledgeable and skills of crisis and crisis intervention to successfully and constructively assist in these incidences. Both professionals involved in the incidents were trained in crisis intervention and needed a level of understanding to be successful with the individual involved. “Without accurate predictors of crises, all counselors should take general steps to reduce the chances of being blindsided by them. The steps include (a) acquiring accurate information about crisis epidemiology, etiology, and impact; (b) assessing risk factors associated with crisis conditions; (c) becoming informed and practiced in crisis response procedure; and (d) being clear about their own and their setting’s philosophies regarding why crises occur and who is responsible for dealing with them. Acquiring accurate information. Counselors who are aware of the prevalence of client crises in contemporary clinical practice” (McAdams & Keener, 2008). Differences of the incidents were the nature of the incident, though both would have been defined as crisis situations. The roles were different with the police officer incident- the police remained there as their role in protecting the safety of the victim, community, and professionals involved. The crisis worker worked directly with the individual to assist in making this mental health crisis less punitive due to disruption. The domestic violence incident, the police again maintained safety and assist in the crisis by obtaining the perpetrator and allowing the advocate to assist. Their roles are similar in response, safetey as a priority, and continued crisis intervention training/knowledge. As well as the involvement of service during a crisis.  

James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2017). Crisis intervention strategies (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. 

· Chapter 1, “Approaching Crisis Intervention” (pp. 3–26) 

McAdams, C. R., & Keener, H. J. (2008). Preparation, Action, Recovery, & Conceptual Framework for Counselor Preparation and response to client Crises. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86,(4), 388-389 

Student 3-Brittany

Dr. Bullard and classmates,

Two Critical Incidents Where Helping Professionals Respond

1. September 11 Attack on the U.S. World Trade Center and Pentagon

2. Soldier returns from a combat-deployment and attempts suicide in his barracks room

Similarities and Differences Between Roles and Responsibilities of Responders

            James and Gilliland (2017) describe a similarity between the two events described above (regardless of it being an individual or community or nation) as an event occurring that the individual or nation becomes overwhelmed by and is no longer able to use relied upon coping mechanisms. Similarities in the roles and responsibilities of responders include that they must be trained and compassionate for those impacted by the event (James & Gilliland, 2017). Additionally, the social worker (or other first responders) should, in both situations, ensure the safety of others, de-escalate, offer support, and provide “psychological first aid,” (James & Gilliland, 2017). However, there are many differences between the roles and responsibilities of responders when considering these two scenarios.

            When dealing with the first scenario, the September 11 Attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, there are many roles and responsibilities that can/should be taken on by first responders. Providing care for survivors post-event is an important role for first responders (James & Gilliland, 2017). Additionally, ensuring survivor’s safety and well-being should be a priority (James & Gilliland, 2017). After the immediate aftermath (and providing psychological first aid) there are several roles and responsibilities for first responders. Fahrudin (2012) discusses that in the first three days after an event social workers can engage in organizing and coordinating the process of helping survivors, which is especially important in a terrorist attack like September 11, as coordinating and organizing to find survivors was extremely important. Additionally, connecting survivors, responders, and others to resources and additional help is another role that social workers could engage in (James & Gilliland). Lastly, Boscarino (2015) stresses the importance of community interventions such as education, public service announcements, and media campaigns to the public which can be planned and organized by first responders.

            In the second scenario, first responders are equally important. Armed conflict and war can create stressful and traumatic experiences for soldiers and civilians (Bauwens & Naturale, 2017). There are many roles and responsibilities for social workers in scenarios like the one described. One big role that could have helped this soldier before the crisis reached a boiling point would have been suicide prevention and educating the soldier and the others around him (in charge of him, serving with him, or family and friends), about the signs and ways to get help (from experience, there are many types of suicide prevention education provided for soldiers) (James & Gilliland, 2017) Again, ensuring the safety of those involved is an important role for social workers. It is important to note that in the situation I described, it is unknown whether something happened while they were in combat, other stressful events occurred in their personal life, or reacclimating to non-combat duty caused their crisis. The next role for the social worker would be to minimize the harmful effects of the situation (James & Gilliland, 2017). Additionally, this situation is drastically different than the terrorist attack, so the roles of the social worker (or first responder) would also be different. After the immediate aftermath and the soldier receives help physically and is safe another role the social worker could engage in would be clinical work (James & Gilliland, 2017). The initial session would focus on building rapport and trust to try and gain disclosure of the traumatic event, with the long-term goal of working with the client longer and in greater detail than what is done in disaster work (James & Gilliland, 2017)

Insights Gained/Conclusions

            Crisis and trauma work/intervention is complicated! I think one of the statements that stuck out to me most was that individuals interpret events differently; so, if one person struggles to overcome an event, but another moves on easily, this is not unusual nor is one person stronger than the other. Perception is so important and as social workers we must be able to understand how a person interprets an event or experiences in order to best serve them. Additionally, I was struck by the many different roles and responsibilities that first responders engage in during a crisis. I hope to engage in clinical practice so when I think about a crisis I tend to think at an individual level. What I gained from our readings is that there are many different types of crisis and trauma, and that I must be prepared to help in a variety of ways. I hope you are all having a good week!

Brittany

References

Bauwens, J., & Naturale, A. (2017). The role of social work in the aftermath of disasters and traumatic events. Clinical Social Work Journal, 45(2), 99–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-017-0623-8

Boscarino, J.A. (2015). Community disasters, psychological trauma, and crisis intervention. International journal of emergency mental health, 17(1), 369-371. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4429300/

Fahrudin, A. (2012). Preparing social work students for working with disaster survivors. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 6(2), 86–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-1411.2012.00064.x

James, R., & Gilliland, B. (2017). Crisis intervention strategies (8th ed.). Brooks/Cole.

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