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Service Characteristics and Counseling Outcomes: Lessons from a Cross-Site Evaluation of Crisis Counseling After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma

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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The 2005 hurricane season was the worst on record, resulting in disaster declarations and the implementation of federally-funded crisis counseling programs in five states. As part of a larger cross-site evaluation of these programs, data from 2,850 participant surveys, 805 provider surveys, and 132,733 encounter logs (submitted from 3 weeks before to 3 weeks after the participant surveys) were aggregated to the county level (N = 50) and used to test hypotheses regarding factors that influence program performance. County-level outcomes (aggregate ratings of participants’ perceived benefits) improved as service intensity, service intimacy, and frequency of psychological referrals increased and as provider job stress decreased. The percent of providers with advanced degrees was indirectly related to participants’ perceived benefits by increasing service intensity and referral frequency. The results yielded recommendations for achieving excellence in disaster mental health programs.

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Notes

  1. This analysis was repeated with the frequency of referrals to disaster relief services included as a sixth predictor, R 2 = .53, F (6, 43) = 8.03, P < .001. Frequency of disaster relief referrals was unrelated the outcome variable, β = .02, ns. The coefficients of the original variables were essentially unchanged; all P levels were the same.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by an interagency agreement between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD), Executive Division, White River Junction, VT, and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START; grant number N00140510629), a Center of Excellence in the Social and Behavioral Sciences funded by the Department of Homeland Security. Opinions, findings, and conclusions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of SAMHSA, the VA, or DHS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VAMC (116D), 215 North Main Street, White River Junction, VT, 05009, USA

    Fran H. Norris, Jessica L. Hamblen & Craig S. Rosen

  2. Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA

    Fran H. Norris & Jessica L. Hamblen

  3. Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Craig S. Rosen

Authors
  1. Fran H. Norris
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  2. Jessica L. Hamblen
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  3. Craig S. Rosen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fran H. Norris.

Appendix

Appendix

Counseling Outcomes and Experiences Scale

How would you rate the program, counselor, or outreach worker on the following areas? In the boxes at right, please “X” the box that best represents your opinion where “1” is the worst rating and “10” is the best rating.

  1. 1.

    How good was the information you got on how people feel after disasters? Was that information the best it could be (10), the worst it could be (1), or somewhere in-between (2–9)?

  2. 2.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do helping you to know that your feelings after the disaster were the same as many other people’s feelings?

  3. 3.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do treating you with respect?

  4. 4.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do respecting your culture, race, ethnicity, or religion?

  5. 5.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do making you feel that asking for help is okay?

  6. 6.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do making you feel that you can help yourself or your family?

  7. 7.

    How good of a job will the counselor or outreach worker do keeping things you said private?

  8. 8.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do helping you to find ways to take care of yourself, like eating right and getting enough sleep?

  9. 9.

    How good of a job did the counselor or outreach worker do helping you to stay active in things like hobbies, sports, church, or volunteer work?

  10. 10.

    How good of an idea is it to tell a friend who was upset by the disaster to see this counselor or outreach worker?

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Norris, F.H., Hamblen, J.L. & Rosen, C.S. Service Characteristics and Counseling Outcomes: Lessons from a Cross-Site Evaluation of Crisis Counseling After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Adm Policy Ment Health 36, 176–185 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0215-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0215-1

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