(1/1/2013)

SAMHSA Has Several Resources for Coping With Mass Violence and Traumatic Events

December 19, 2012

SAMHSA has several resources available for coping with mass violence and traumatic events. The resources are free, viewable or downloadable, and easy to read.

There are podcasts, webcasts, tips, wallet cards, fact sheets, and links to other online resources, with information on how to talk to children about traumatic events, how to cope with mass violence, how to cope with grief, and how to cope with traumatic stress. These are valuable resources for anyone who has been impacted by the recent mass violence, and have special materials developed specifically for:

• Students
• For Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers
• For Responders and Health Professionals

SAMHSA also operates a Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) - the nation’s first hotline dedicated to providing disaster crisis counseling. The toll-free Helpline operates 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. This free, confidential and multilingual, crisis support service is available via telephone (1-800-985-5990) and SMS (Text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746) to U.S. residents who are experiencing psychological distress as a result of a natural or man-made disaster, incidents of mass violence or any other disasters. Callers are connected to trained and caring professionals from the closest crisis counseling center in the network. The helpline staff provides confidential counseling, referrals and other needed support services.

Go to SAMHSA’s Trauma Resources: http://www.samhsa.gov/trauma/

Keywords: SAMHSA, resources, coping, violence, traumatic, events