Lessons learned in psychosocial care after disasters
This report is the result of a survey conducted in the various European countries which are members of the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) by the Standing Committee on Crisis and Disaster Psychology. Each member describes an example of psychosocial care after a disaster in their own country. The examples are randomly chosen and there are, of course, many more which could be described. It is of great importance that everyone learn from the reasearcher's experiences and collect the best practices, while also looking into the things which went wrong.
In general, there are a few key concepts which express the EFPA’s vision of psychosocial care after disasters:
• Psychosocial care should be an integral part of disaster planning and preparedness;
• Psychosocial care should occupy a key position within disaster relief, including in terms of all disciplines and all responsibilities;
• Psychosocial aspects should be considered from the outset;
• Psychosocial care should be provided to high standards of quality on the basis of scientific evidence and best practice.