Disaster Psychology

Disaster psychology applies the knowledge and methods of psychology used to study, understand, and assist people during all phases of a disaster (i.e., mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery). Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, professionals in this rapidly growing specialty area have been actively collaborating with experts in other disciplines such as health care, science, and engineering to enhance existing infrastructure and improve disaster management systems. Disaster psychology informs development of risk communications, mitigation and preparation endeavors, crowd control, shelter management, resilience programs, and psychological recovery of the affected people after the disaster event. The need for professionals with disaster psychology training and experience is unlikely to diminish in the coming years.

In the United States, on ...