Mass Violence

Mass violence has evoked many emotions—sadness, grief, helplessness, anxiety, fear, and anger. These events have impacted many individuals and families who may be experiencing direct exposure to trauma or who are triggered by reminders of previous traumatic experiences. Below are select resources from ISTSS affiliates, partner organizations, and other related health organizations for providers, individuals, and families who may need support during this time.

For Mental Health Professionals

• Key Information - National Center for PTSD
  • The Impact of Disaster and Mass Violence Events on Mental Health
    Discusses normal and problematic responses to disaster, including bereavement complications, acute stress disorder, PTSD symptoms, and associated problems.
  • Phases of Traumatic Stress Reactions Following Disaster and Mass Violence
    Describes the typical phases of reaction to disaster and mass violence, including: impact, immediate, intermediate, and long term.
  • Risk and Resilience Factors After Disaster and Mass Violence
    Reviews the risk and resilience (or protective) factors at the individual, social, and community level that impact the influence of disaster or mass violence events on those
• Treatment - National Center for PTSD
  • Working with Trauma Survivors: What Workers Need to Know
    Information regarding traumatic stress, for the people who are working with trauma survivors.
  • Helping Survivors: Early Interventions Following Disaster and Mass Violence
    Reviews immediate actions that support the well-being of disaster-affected individuals, including evidence-informed recovery elements and Psychological First Aid (PFA).
  • Helping Survivors: Intermediate Treatment Interventions Following Disaster and Mass Violence
    Reviews interventions appropriate for the weeks to months following disaster or mass violence events that include supportive counseling, resource connection, resilience-enhancing strategies, and assessment and formal treatment for those at highest risk for ongoing problems.
  • Helping Survivors: Long-Term Treatment Interventions Following Disaster and Mass Violence
    Describes research support for trauma-focused psychotherapy and other interventions appropriate for adult disaster survivors who continue to express symptoms in the months to years following an event.
  • Types of Debriefing Following Disasters
    Describes several types of debriefing following a trauma, and discusses the pros and cons of this form of mental health intervention.
  • Managing Grief after Disaster
    Offers clinical advice regarding grief management after a disaster, including strategies to address traumatic grief and complications of bereavement.
• Manuals and Tools - National Center for PTSD and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network​
  • Immediate aftermath:  Psychological First Aid (PFA): Field Operations Guide
    PFA is an evidence-informed modular approach for assisting people in the immediate aftermath of disaster to reduce initial distress and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning. The guide, created jointly with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, is available in multiple languages and includes handouts for survivors. Online training and a YouTube PFA Channel are available.  See also the PFA mobile phone app.
  • Long-term response:  Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) Guide
    SPR aims to help survivors gain skills to manage distress and cope with post-disaster stress and adversity. SPR is intended to follow Psychological First Aid (PFA) in the weeks and months following disaster and mass violence events. The guide was created jointly with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network as well as others involved in disaster response; training information is available.
  • From the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
    • Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) – Field operations guide
    • Providing PFA-S: For Health-Related Professionals – handout
    • Providing PFA-S: For Principals and Administrators – handout
    • Providing PFA-S: For School Support Staff – handout
    • Providing PFA-S: For Teachers - handout

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For Individuals, Parents, and Caregivers

• Trauma Basics
  • Trauma During Adulthood
  • Medical Trauma
  • Other ISTSS trauma resources
• Support for Individuals - National Center for PTSD ​
  • Resources for Survivors and the Public Following Disaster and Mass Violence
  • What to Expect in the Wake of Mass Violence 
  • Media Coverage of Traumatic Events
• Support for Children and Families
  • Talking to Children about the Shooting - National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
  • Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after the Recent Shooting - NCTSN
  • Helping Children Understand Frightening Events - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS)
  • Managing the Stress of Children after a Crisis - CSTS
  • Post Disaster Stress Management for Parents - CSTS
  • Helping Communities and Families Recover after a Disaster - CSTS
• Military / Veterans
  • Military OneSource – call 1-800-342-9647 for eligible DOD service members and their families.
  • Veterans Crisis Line – call 1-800-273-8255, press “1” or text 838255 for all service members.
• Leadership -  Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress 
  • Leadership Communication for Anticipating and Responding to Stressful Events
  • Leadership Stress Management
• Other Resources
  • SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline – call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.

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