| Supporting
Clients in Transition Article
Incomprehensible...
Unfathomable...
Unbelievable...
Appalling...
I could go on, but you get the idea. Everyone I've
talked to this week is having trouble wrapping their
minds around what's happened in the Gulf Coast area
over the last 12 days.
Although I've thought about a wide variety of transitions
over the last 20 years, the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina
and its aftermath put this transition in an entirely
different category.
This isn't your garden variety transition
that's impacted a few people; this is a Category 5,
Red Alert Disaster.
The tsunami and 9/11 left me in a similar
state of numbness.
- So many people's lives changed forever.
- So many locations transformed into shockingly unfamiliar
territories.
- So many people lost to this world.
Because I can't wrap my mind around the entire
event at once, I started searching for ways
to bring some meaning and understanding to what I've
been seeing.
As I thought about each of you, I
realized that you may be seeing the ramifications of
this event in your practice. That led me to think about
the various groups of people who have been affected
by the disaster and the support they are likely to need.
Although your clients may be concentrated
in the last group, you may also run across
someone from the other groups. I hope the following
descriptions give you some new insights about how to
support your clients during this time.
(Please keep in mind that these are general statements
and do not necessarily spell out everything an individual
client may be facing.)
First and foremost, survival needs must be
met - food, drinking water, clean air, a survivable
temperature. Then safety needs come into play - a safe
place to shelter, clothing. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy
of Needs spells this out in no uncertain terms.
Next come the belongingness and love needs
- survivors must have a way to connect with their loved
ones - relatives, friends, pets - and spend time with
others who care for them whether they are strangers
or friends.
Although the survivors are currently going
through the motions to do what they have to
do to survive, they are most definitely in shock. The
unknowns they face are too big to take in all at once.
It's likely they won't feel the true emotions evoked
by
their losses for quite some time.
This group faces the sheer grit, grime, and
agony of the situation - up close and personal. Right
now they are in survive and rescue mode. They must put
their emotions and personal responses on hold to remain
effective in their work. Given the lack of personnel
and resources evident in this disaster, rescuers are
most likely wrestling with the pain of the decisions
and choices they've had to make.
It's going to take some time and probably
some emotional and psychological support to work through
the intensity of their experiences. Some members
of this group may have also lost them home (Group 1)
and lost track of relatives (Group 3).
The helplessness and fear these people feel
is palpable. Just imagine! There's no way to
get word from anyone. All there is to do is wait, worry,
and keep trying.
I was in this category during the 1989 Loma
Prieta Earthquake in the Bay Area. When the
ground shook, I was in Dallas on a business trip. I
saw the first scenes of the damage on a wall size television.
By some miracle I was able to have a brief
conversation with my Mom from the pay phone in the bar,
but it was nine more long hours before I was able to
reach someone at work who told me my town (and therefore
my home and dog) had suffered very little damage.
The wait for news was agonizing...I
can't imagine waiting for days and days as this group
has. (Keep in mind that some people in this disaster
are in both Group 1 and Group 3. They survived the storm
and were separated from loved ones at some point along
the way.)
Although this group didn't experience the actual
events, television provides each of us with
a front row seat to a wide variety of situations. In
a way, it's likely we are seeing a broader cross section
of the disaster than those who lived through their own
slice of hell.
I'm in no way suggesting that seeing the events through
the filter of the press is worse than being there, but
it does trigger a transition response of its own.
- How do we make sense of the pain and agony we see
- in the mother with the newborn, the elderly person,
the families split apart, the pets being left behind?
How do we explain the behavior we've seen or heard
about?
- How would we survive if we were in the same situation?
What would we do if a disaster of this magnitude struck
our home, neighborhood, city, or region? What can
we do to prepare?
- How can we help those in need?
- How can we whine about what's wrong in our own
lives when we compare it to what hundreds of thousands
are dealing with right now?
All groups may find the sights, sounds, emotions,
and circumstances of this disaster are triggering memories
and responses to prior traumas.
- The pictures of the water may trigger memories
of nearly drowning.
- Watching people talk about being separated from
their families may trigger memories of abandonment
and separation.
- Hearing interviews with people who have been evacuated,
may trigger memories of past emergency evacuations.
- The violence may trigger memories of a past incident
of rape, mugging or burglary.
If any of your clients are having a difficult
time managing their current emotions or their
response to what's been triggered from their past, refer
them to a professional who has the training to help
them work through and beyond the trauma. Do some reading
on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so you are familiar
with how it manifests in situations like this.
We, as a nation, have a long way to go to heal
and rebuild from this disaster--physically,
emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Transition Professionals
of all varieties will be called upon to support all
four groups in their healing process.
If you are likely to do this work, get the
support you need to process your own emotions of grief,
anger, sorry, and pain before you step into a role of
support. Whether you talk with a colleague informally
or in a session, your effectiveness will
be increased by your renewed focus.
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