Informative and practical, DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH: THEORY AND PRACTICE covers the psychology of disasters, and discusses how to assist those impacted by such dramatic, life-changing events. Its primary aim is to support and empower those mental health practitioners and students who will be working in the trenches of disaster's aftermath. An ancillary goal is to arm disaster responders who are not mental health specialists with sufficient knowledge to consider the role of mental health and how it might be helpful. The book is intended to be a tool in disaster preparedness and planning. A broader goal is to further legitimize the still-developing field of disaster mental health by offering a synthesis of trends, discoveries and related concepts.

This book presents a theoretical integration and context for what disaster mental health is and what it is not. It also presents the range of mental health interventions in the wake of disaster. These interventions are discussed in a practical manner so that readers may obtain and develop additional skills.