Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Article

Disciplines

Counseling | Counselor Education

Comments

This article originally appeared in the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience. It is reproduced here with permission from the copyright holder. All Rights Secured. No copy of this file may be sold or reprinted in whole or in part.

Abstract

The principles of Critical Incident Stress Management for assisting individuals and groups are applied to an Eastern European crisis event. This case study demonstrates the importance of understanding the cultural context where crisis events occur and the value of developing a network of local relationships as a step toward gaining credibility when working cross-culturally. I recount experiences over the past 13 years working in Eastern Europe as a clinical psychologist, consulting and intervening in a wide variety of critical incidents. There is a great need to raise the awareness of depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, and addictions among health professionals, educators, clergy, and the general public. By combining the practices of community and clinical psychology, traction has been gained in developing counseling and crisis response initiatives led by both non-professionals and mental health personnel in Eastern Europe.

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