Helping the Helpers: Acute Stress

The Headington Institute CE course Helping the Helpers: Understanding, assessing and treating humanitarian workers experiencing Acute Stress Reactions is available online for free! Click here to download a free PDF version of this course. See below for course description and abstract.

If you are a mental health professional and would like continuing education credit for this course you can order this online by doing the following:

  1. Fax or mail us your completed 70-question exam (you can find the exam at the end of the course text).
    1. The Institute's fax number is: 626 229 0514.
    2. Our mailing address is: Headington Institute, 402 S Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA.
  2. Then, use the "Make a Payment" button below to go to our secure online donations form to pay the $99 continuing education credit fee. Pay with your credit card by entering 99.00 in the section: Other payments/registration fees. If you prefer, you can also send the fee by check.

Once we receive payment and it is determined that you have scored more than 75% on the exam your continuing education certificate will be mailed to you immediately. Exams are scored within 7 business days of their receipt.

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Helping the Helpers Understanding, assessing and treating humanitarian workers experiencing Acute Stress Reactions

(140 pages, 6 C.E. credits)

Course description

During the last 15 years intentional violence has become the leading cause of death for humanitarian relief and development workers serving in complex humanitarian emergency situations. Humanitarian workers already confronted with the reality of poverty, war, starvation and disease, are also facing the reality that their work is becoming increasingly dangerous. Being shot at or bombed; being mugged, kidnapped or carjacked; being threatened at a checkpoint by a child totting a gun – these are all potentially traumatic experiences and, in many parts of the world, not infrequent occurrences.

This course explores the following questions:

  1. What are the risks of facing threat and violence as a humanitarian worker?
  2. What happens in our bodies and minds when we undergo a traumatic experience?
  3. How do you know when a stress reaction is normal and transient, and when professional support is called for?
  4. What helps? What does the latest research have to say about debriefing, cognitive behavioral therapy, eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing, pharmacotherapy and relaxation training.

This module was written to help mental health professionals better understand the dangers inherent in the humanitarian context and become more familiar with the etiology, assessment and treatment of acute stress reactions.

Mental health professionals can receive 6 credits of continuing education credit upon successful completion of the accompanying 70 question exam.

Abstract

During the last 15 years, intentional violence has become the leading cause of death for humanitarian relief and development workers in complex humanitarian emergency situations. At least 205 of them were murdered in 2003 alone. Assault rates have also gone up sharply during this period. Research suggests that most humanitarian workers working in developing countries will face at least one severely disturbing or frightening experience as a result of their work. Approximately 25% of humanitarian staff working in complex humanitarian emergency situations can expect to undergo a life-threatening experience. As a result, there is a growing awareness that more must be done to help support these committed professionals who are working in volatile environments and coping with the reality of war, poverty, starvation and disease.

Given the current context, it is increasingly likely that mental health professionals interested in supporting humanitarian work will be called on to be involved in some form of early intervention following a traumatic event (such as a kidnapping or a carjacking). In order to make responsible and informed choices about assessment and intervention, it is imperative that they be familiar with the latest research and practice pertaining to acute stress reactions. As such, this module helps mental health professionals better understand the stressors and dangers inherent in the humanitarian context, and become more familiar with the etiology, assessment, and treatment, of acute stress reactions.

The first chapter, Facing Disaster: The Hidden Costs, sets the scene by exploring humanitarian workers' experiences of one of the most significant pressures intrinsic to their work – threat and violence. The second chapter, Acute Stress Reactions, reviews the etiology and course of development of reactions to traumatic events. The third chapter, Assessing Acute Stress Reactions, summarizes assessment tools useful in identifying a variety of acute stress reactions. The final chapter, Treating Acute Stress Reactions, presents the latest findings on several early-intervention and treatment strategies, including: critical incident stress debriefing (CISD); cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT); eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR); pharmacotherapy; and relaxation training.