Recently Dwayne, who is a specialist in hostage negotiation and criminal behavior profiling, was asked whether or not parents could be educated with respect to spotting a teenaged child's predilection for such lethal behavior as school shootings.  His response was to write the following article--you can read it here.

By the way, before becoming a Special Agent of the FBI in the early 80's, Dr. Fuselier had earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology and had served a tour of duty as an Air Force psychologist.

The CDC' site presents important information for individuals, families, and businesses with respect to how to prepare for a swine flu pandemic.  The APA's site provides helpful psychological suggestions regarding how to maintain our emotional selves.

A person’s attitude has a lot to do with his or her chances of survival in a disaster.  Although survival kits that contain some food, water, a first-aid kit, and some means of making fire are great to have on hand, perhaps more important is having the right attitude.    Here are some tips for productive ways to think that can assist you when disaster strikes.

            *Stay calm and think about the next step you should take.  Disasters can be overwhelming, and many people may panic and throw their hands up in distress.  But thinking about the situation in terms of small increments can be helpful for getting you out of the crisis.  Concentrate on the one thing you should do next, and do it.

            *Believe that you can do something to make a difference in the situation.  If people believe that life happens to them and they can’t do anything about it, they won’t do anything at all.  Believe in yourself and your ability to take action, and your chances for survival are much higher. 

            *Develop a mantra for yourself – something you can say to yourself to get you through a tough situation.  Mantras such as “calm” or “life” or, my personal favorite, “Stop, Think, Observe, Plan” can keep you centered on the task at hand, and they can help clear your head for better thinking.  Say these things to yourself during difficult situations in daily life, and you will be better equipped to use them if a disaster strikes.

            *Think positively.  People who become discouraged easily can fall apart in the face of a disaster.  Learn to take challenges as they come, and think positively about the outcome of the situation.  You will be able to overcome obstacles more easily with a more positive attitude. 

            *Develop a Plan B for your situation.  It can be hard to think clearly in a disaster, so having a backup plan is of the utmost importance.  Make sure it is specific, so you will know when to use it.  For example, if you are lost in a forest and your plan is to walk in a northerly direction to get out of the forest, have a Plan B that says you will backtrack and then try a different direction if you don’t find your way out by a certain time. 

            *Keep your denial in check.  Since it is human nature to think that a disaster could never happen to us, it is important to make sure you are thinking realistically about the situation.  In the example of being lost in the forest, denying that you are lost is not going to help you, but only hinder your chances of getting out.  Learn to see things how they really are and not just how you want them to be. 

            *Trust your instincts about people.  Be sure not to get into a tough situation with someone you don’t feel comfortable with.  Often our instincts tell us a lot about a situation, and we should listen to our own signals.  In other words, don’t go hiking in a forest with someone you don’t trust. 

            *Keep your cool when things go wrong.  Most people will usually become upset when a situation goes downhill, but keeping your emotions in check can be vital.  If you do get stressed out in small situations, stress can take its toll on your mind and body.  Practice keeping calm in your daily routines so you’ll be more prepared to stay calm when you really need to. 

            *Learn to understand how your actions can have large effects.  Some think that one person’s actions don’t make much difference in the big picture, but consider the traffic situation in a major city at 5 PM.  One person who decides to slam on his brakes in traffic can cause a major pile-up, injuring or killing other people.  Be aware of the consequences of your actions and act accordingly.

            *Don’t let down your guard until you are completely out of a disaster situation.  Many people may think that they are in the clear once a major goal has been met, but sometimes there are still tough times ahead.  Be sure to keep your wits until the situation is completely over. 

            *Calculate the risk versus the reward in any given situation.  Trying to make it home for dinner can become dangerous if you decide to speed and drive recklessly.  Ask yourself: What is the reward I’m after?  What am I willing to pay for that reward?

            *Try new things!  Believe it or not, getting out of your comfort zone to do new things in everyday life can help you in a disaster situation.  Thinking outside the box can help you in a crisis, but you can’t do that if you don’t know how.  So learn something hard.  Or learn something you already know in a different way.  Constantly using your mind and expanding your mental abilities will help you when disaster strikes. 

            Finally, remember that your attitude is probably the most important factor in helping you to survive a disaster.

On September 1, Labor Day, as a member of the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps, I spent the day working with about 2,000 Louisianans who had just been bused to Oklahoma City to shelter from Hurricane Gustav.  They were sheltering in a huge unused warehouse—the Lucent Technology Center in southwest Oklahoma City.  By far the majority of our “guests” were a stalwart group.  In particular I met and talked with a man, about my own age (older rather than younger), who worked as a maintenance man in the courthouse complex in New Orleans.  We started the conversation with him teaching me the best way to eat MREs (meals ready to eat)—which menus were the best, how to mix the gravy with the meat, and the best way to open the cheese packets.  He had been through Katrina and decided that had been enough; so when the mayor of New Orleans had urged people to evacuate he took him up on it.  Even though my new friend was coping I saw that he was also unhappy.  Who wouldn’t be given his situation?  Disasters are an all too common experience nowadays.

            You know, natural disasters such as hurricanes can have a huge impact on those who survive them.  People usually have strong emotional reactions to these situations.  Common responses immediately following the event are denial and shock.  Feeling overwhelmed or numb is also common.  In the weeks and months following the disaster, people may begin to have varied reactions.  All of the following are common reactions to trauma, but everyone is different, so remember to take that into consideration when evaluating yours or a friend’s emotional reactions. 

            *Feelings may become intense, even to the point of having mood swings.  Some people become irritable or overly emotional.  Feelings such as anxiety and guilt have been reported in many people in the wake of a disaster. 

            *Behaviors and thoughts are expected to be affected by the disaster.  Many people have recurring vivid memories of the disaster, known as flashbacks.  Sometimes flashbacks are triggered by images or sounds that bring back memories of the event.  Some people have difficulty concentrating, eating, and sleeping. 

            *Relationships with friends and family may become strained as the survivor goes through this cycle of intense emotions.  Some people experience more conflict with loved ones, while others tend to become withdrawn and quiet when around friends and family. 

            *It is becoming increasingly common for people to experience physical symptoms in response to stress or trauma.  Headaches, stomach aches, and rapid heartbeat can take the place of strong emotions about the event or can accompany a person’s emotions. 

            Now that you know about these reactions, you may be thinking, “Ok, how can I cope with all this?”  There are several ways to help yourself or a loved one heal emotionally after a disaster.  First of all, be patient.  Give yourself time to experience these emotions and expect that things will not go back to normal overnight.  Let yourself experience emotions and try to deal with them as they come.  If you feel like you are alone in this, ask for support from your family and friends or try to find support groups of people who have experienced the same thing.  Talking with others about your traumatic experience can help lift a heavy burden.  In addition to communicating your experience to others, try to get into a daily routine.  People need to experience some sort of stability after trauma, and routines can help to establish stability in your life.  Try to get plenty of sleep and remember to eat healthy.  Taking care of your body will ease the stress on your mind.  If you try these things and still don’t experience any relief, remember that contacting a psychologist or counselor for extra support can be very helpful for those who have experienced a traumatic event. 

    First children of different ages react in different ways.  Typical reactions of very young children (birth to about 6 years) to disasters include feeling helpless and scared and wanting to be around the caregiver more than usual.  Babies may cry more often and become more easily upset.  Preschool children also can appear anxious or fearful of the world because they no longer feel safe.  They also may cling to the parent or caregiver. Fears of abandonment, a common childhood dread, can become even more pronounced. Preschoolers also might regress to the behaviors of younger ages, such as bed-wetting or thumb-sucking, and they may have trouble sleeping. 

    School age children (7 to 11 years) can also slip back to earlier, age-regressed behaviors.  Furthermore, they can demonstrate concentration and attention problems, particularly at school.  Unlike preschoolers, school aged children have the ability to understand the permanence of loss from a disaster.  Thus these children can become preoccupied with the disaster and want to continuously talk about it.  This preoccupation can result in various emotional reactions such as guilt, anger, etc as well as increased physical complaints.

    Older children (such as teenagers) typically have a need to appear knowledgeable (clued-up as it were) especially to their friends.  With older children one may see a variety of responses, ranging from adult-like behavior to age-inappropriate regressed behavior.  The older child may desire to spend more time with the family; but they also may withdraw from the family.  They may experience many emotions, from guilt to fear to feeling immortal because they have survived the disaster.  They may feel as if they cannot discuss their emotions with their family members. 

    Okay, what are some of the things a parent can do to help their child after a disaster?

    *As much as possible, return to a normal routine for daily activities, such as meal times and bedtime.  Children need to feel a sense of stability after a disaster. 

    *Let children know that you are there for them and that you care about them.  Be there to answer questions or just talk with them about their thoughts and feelings about the disaster.  They need to be able to process their emotions during this time. 

    *Allow children to be more dependent than usual on you or other caregivers.  This may help alleviate their fears and anxiety about their own safety.  Let them stay near you or hug you more.

    *Try to avoid letting children see media coverage of the disaster.  Seeing everything happen again on TV may re-traumatize them and cause more fear and stress in them. 

    *Help children express themselves through play activities.  Often they cannot express how they are feeling verbally, but they may use play as an outlet for their thoughts and emotions. 

    *Give children an opportunity to be of help to someone else.  This may help them feel better about themselves and give them a sense of control and stability. 

    Remember that many of the upsetting behaviors children may demonstrate after a disaster are simply normal reactions to an abnormal situation.  Given a strong support system, reassurance that everything will be okay, and extra love and care from the family, children will usually recover fully from a disaster.  However, if the caregiver notices academic or behavioral problems at school, angry outbursts, withdrawal from normal social activities, physical problems (like headaches or nausea), depression, hopelessness, dangerous behaviors, or drug or alcohol use problems, he or she should seek professional help for the child.  Often a counselor will be able to help the child understand and process their feelings and thoughts about the disaster. 

PFA is made up of 8 Core Actions.  In later posts I’ll provide more information on these.  However, today, I want to talk about preparing to deliver PFA.  A disaster mental health worker needs to think about various considerations, personal, family, work, etc. before he or she decides to put themselves into harm’s way.    Likewise, the worker needs to consider what type of volunteer setting they wish to work in.  This pdf file outlines these concerns.

Okay, back to the issue at hand--taking responsibility for yourself, your family, and your business.  The answer—just do it!  For information on how visit this government sponsored website-Ready.America.  In particular, look for and download needed manuals and brochures from this webpage.