War and Disaster Resources
Please find the following resources that may be helpful during war and as disasters occur.
For Mental Health Professionals
- Supporting Patients
- Clinical Management of Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Conditions in Humanitarian Emergencies - World Health Organization and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [English], [Ukrainian], [Russian]
- Mental health resources for those working with refugees and people directly impacted by the war in Ukraine - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English], [Ukrainian], [Russian], [Polish]
- Psychological and behavioral health concerns providers should know about when managing a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear event - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Opportunities and Challenges for the Traumatic Stress Community to Assist those Affected by the War in Ukraine - ISTSS Webinar
- Self-Help+ 5-session stress management course - World Health Organization [English], [Ukrainian], [Arabic]
- Rapid Psychological First Aid - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English and Ukrainian]
- Coping after a traumatic event - Royal College of Psychiatrists [Arabic]
- Refugees
- Military / Veterans
- Addressing Veterans' Reactions to Large-Scale Traumatic Events - National Center for PTSD (va.gov) [English]
- Corresponding provider guide [English]
- Corresponding provider guide for current events in Ukraine [English]
- Consulting: The National Center for PTSD Consultation Program (www.ptsd.va.gov/consult) is here to support providers in treating veterans. If you have questions about these pages or would like to talk with one of our consultants, please reach out to PTSDconsult@va.gov at any time. No question is too big or too small.
- Advancing the health of military families during deployment - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Addressing Veterans' Reactions to Large-Scale Traumatic Events - National Center for PTSD (va.gov) [English]
- Children and Families
- Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress Toolkit for Health Care Providers - National Child Traumatic Stress Network [English]
- Secondary Stress: Providers, First Responders, and Disaster Recovery
For Individuals, Parents, and Caregivers
- Trauma Basics from ISTSS
- PTSD Bytes: Recovery from Disasters and Mass Violence
- Natural disasters and mass violence affect individuals, first responders, and whole communities. Dr. Patricia Watson discusses common reactions to these types of events. Learn how to take care of your mental health and how to support others in the days, weeks, and months after. Explore digital tools that can help you manage symptoms of PTSD or depression, and learn when to consider professional help.
- Support for Adults
- Coping after a traumatic event - Royal College of Psychiatrists [English], [Arabic]
- Surviving Warfare Adversities: A Brief Survival Advice for Civilians Under War Stress - Psychosomatic Medicine and General Practice [English], [Ukrainian]
- War and disaster stress management
- Managing the Stress of War and Disaster - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Recommendations for dealing with people in crisis situations and following difficult life events – Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe [English], [Ukrainian], [Russian]; 7 additional languages available here
- Support for Children and Families
- Helplines, Learning Video Clips, and Tools for Parents - Israeli Ministry of Health [English], [Hebrew], [Arabic, Amharic, and Russian]
- Coping after a traumatic event - Child Mind Institute [English], [Arabic], [Hebrew], [Ukrainian], [Russian]
- Talking to children about conflict and war
- Helping Children Understand Frightening Events - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Talking to Children about War - National Child Traumatic Stress Network [English]
- How to Talk to Your Child about Conflict and War - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) [English]
- How you can support your child during bombing - Child Protection: Global Protection Cluster (UNICEF) [English], [Ukrainian], [Russian]
- Dealing with traumatic grief - National Child Traumatic Stress Network [English - Young Children] [English - School-aged Children] [English - Teens]
- How to talk to children about mass violence and hate crimes - National Child Traumatic Stress Network [English - Mass Violence] [English - Antisemitism] [English - Islamophobia]
- War and disaster stress management
- Managing the Stress of Children after a Crisis - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Post Disaster Stress Management for Parents - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Helping Communities and Families Recover after a Disaster - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Community Crises and Disasters: A Parent's Guide to Talking with Children of All Ages - Massachusetts General Hospital [English
- Refugee Caregivers
- Military / Veterans
- Tips for Veterans Coping with Large-Scale Traumatic Events - National Center for PTSD (va.gov) [English]
- Coping with Current Events in Ukraine - National Center for PTSD (va.gov) [English]
- Military OneSource – call 1-800-342-9647 for eligible Department of Defense service members and their families.
- Veterans Crisis Line – call 988, press “1” or text 838255 for all service members.
- Helping Children Cope During Deployment - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Leadership
- Leadership Communication for Anticipating and Responding to Stressful Events - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Leadership Stress Management - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
- Guidelines for Teachers Helping Students after Mass Violence - National Child Traumatic Stress Network [English]
- Grief Leadership: Leadership in the Wake of Tragedy - Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress [English]
Guidance and Resources for Clinical Practice and Field Work
- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Humanitarian Response in Ukraine and Neighboring Countries - Inter-Agency Standing Committee
- Compilation of resources for assessment, intervention, and advocacy. Resources are available in English, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, and Ukrainian
- War Mental Health Resources (Resource list compiled by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress)
- Clinical Practice
- Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings - Inter-Agency Standing Committee [English], [Ukrainian], [Arabic]
- Guidance on Mental Health and Psychosocial Programming with a Faith-Sensitive Approach to Humanitarian Aid - Inter-Agency Standing Committee [English]
- Operational Guidelines for Field Workers
- Operational guidance, mental health & psychosocial support programming for refugee operations - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [English]
- Disaster Recovery Toolkits - Australian Government Disaster Mental Health Hub [English]
- Psychological First Aid - World Health Organization
- Facilitator's manual for orienting field workers [English], [Ukrainian]
- Guide for field workers [English], [Ukrainian], [Arabic]
- Guide for staff supporting displaced children and families immediately after arriving in the United States [English] [Ukrainian]