When disaster strikes, whether natural or human-caused, counselors are can be active partners in preparedness, response, and recovery. The profession can evolve from the therapy room to the command post, ensuring communities have the psychological resilience to withstand crises.

Historical Context

Events such as Columbine, the Oklahoma City bombing, the September 11th attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the Virginia Tech shootings reshaped counseling. Trauma-informed care became central, with calls for crisis plans designed to serve all populations and approaches focused on acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorders. Counselors integrated the treatment of trauma and have helped clients navigate the very experience of trauma itself.

Expanding Roles in Disaster Teams

Counselors now serve as part of emergency behavioral health teams and crisis intervention and intervention teams, often alongside first responder such as paramedics, law enforcement officers, emergency managers, and public health professionals. After Hurricane Katrina, nearly 4,600 mental health professionals were deployed to the Gulf Coast, with the American Counseling Association responsible for mobilizing about 20% of them. This shift reflects the recognition that psychological recovery is as vital as physical rescue.

Trauma-Informed and Relational Approaches

Frameworks like SAMHSA’s TIP 57 emphasize safety, trust, empowerment, peer support, and cultural responsiveness as anchors of trauma-informed care. Relational-Cultural Theory adds that trauma is inherently relational; that is, healing requires connection, empathy, and authentic relationships. These approaches can move counseling into disaster behavioral health, beyond symptom reduction into the realm of rebuilding community connection.

Supporting First Responders

First responders experience trauma both as helpers and as victims. There is a need for prevention (training, resilience, self-care), postvention (peer and mental health support after critical incidents), and treatment (tailored, stigma-sensitive care). Counselors can design interventions that sustain responder wellness across the entire disaster cycle.

Counselors in ICS, NIMS, and NRF

The National Response Framework (NRF) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) describe how the “whole community” integrates into disaster operations. Counselors can serve in multiple capacities:

• Planning: Contributing to inclusive, culturally competent emergency plans.
• Communications: Leveraging trauma-informed communication skills.
• Human Services: Acting as behavioral health liaisons in Basic EOC Functions.
• Operations: Supporting Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) and Disaster Case Management.

Baseline training starts with ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800. Advanced ICS 300/400 and HSEEP exercises prepare counselors for leadership in planning and evaluation. Within NRF’s structure, counselors directly stabilize the Health and Medical lifeline, while supporting Safety, Security, and Communications.

Strategize Your Success

At Tactical Counseling, we help responders, agencies, and communities prepare for the unpredictable. Whether through trauma therapy, resilience training, or program development, our goal is to integrate behavioral health into every level of disaster planning and response.

Resources for Further Reading

• Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services (TIP 57) — SAMHSA
• A Vision for the Future of Counseling — Kaplan & Gladding (2011) - Journal of Counseling & Development
• National Response Framework — FEMA
• National Incident Management System — FEMA