Başoğlu M., Şalcıoğlu E. A Mental Healthcare Model for Mass Trauma Survivors. Control-Focused Behavioral Treatment of Earthquake, War, and Torture Trauma

Cambridge University Press, 2011. — 296 p.A Mental Healthcare Model for Mass Trauma Survivors – Control-Focused Behavioral Treatment of Earthquake, War, and Torture Trauma by Metin Başoğlu and Ebru Şalcıoğlu presents a theory and evidence-based mental health care model to meet the psychological needs of mass trauma survivors. Mass trauma events, such as natural disasters, war and torture, affect millions of people every year. Currently, there is no mental health care model with the potential to address the psychological needs of survivors in a cost-effective way. This book presents such a model, along with guidance on its implementation, making it invaluable for both policy-makers and mental health professionals. Building on more than twenty years of extensive research with mass trauma survivors, the authors present a model of traumatic stress to aid understanding of mass trauma and how its psychological impact can be overcome with control-focused behavioral treatment. This text offers a critical review of various controversial issues in the field of psychological trauma in light of recent research findings. Including two structured manuals on earthquake trauma, covering treatment delivery and self-help, the book will be of use to survivors themselves as well as care providers.Despite significant advances in treatment of psychological trauma in the last two decades, current knowledge in this field falls short of addressing the care needs of millions of mass trauma survivors around the world, particularly in developing countries. Such a challenging task requires brief and effective treatments that can be cost-effectively disseminated to survivors through all possible means, including health professionals, lay therapists, self-help tools, and even mass media. None of the current trauma treatments are suitable for this purpose. Drawing on 20 years of research aimed at development of brief and effective interventions and cost-effective treatment dissemination methods, this book represents a visionary approach to this problem with recourse to sound theory and evidence. With its broad scope, this book will be of interest to a wide readership. A learning theory formulation of earthquake, war, and torture trauma in Part 1 might be useful for researchers as well as care providers in understanding mechanisms of traumatic stress common to different types of trauma events. A sound theory-based understanding of mechanisms of traumatic stress is essential in choice of interventions likely to be useful in helping trauma survivors. In view of the fact that the evidence base of learning theory originated largely from experimental work with animals, evidence pertaining to human behavior in support of this theoretical model might be of interest to students of learning theory. Such evidence in relation to torture trauma might also be of interest to human rights workers and legal professionals because of its relevance to definitional issues surrounding torture and the controversy regarding the distinction between torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.In view of the urgent need for evidence-based interventions for mass trauma survivors, Part 2 provides a step-by-step description of brief assessment and behavioral treatment strategies for earthquake, war, and torture survivors developed in the course of our work. Part 3 provides a mental healthcare model for earthquake survivors based on brief and largely self-help interventions together with the tools needed for implementation of the model in earthquake-prone countries. These tools include various screening and assessment instruments and two manuals designed for cost-effective dissemination of treatment knowledge to professional and lay therapists as well as to survivors. As such, the book might be of interest to individual care providers, disaster relief organizations, psychosocial aid groups, as well as governments of countries at risk of earthquakes. Also presented is a critical review of various issues in care of mass trauma survivors in the light of evidence in support of a learning theory formulation of trauma. The mental healthcare approach described in this book aims at empowerment of mass trauma survivors. Although the importance of empowerment in recovery from trauma is widely recognized among care providers, the rather broad, elusive, and ill-defined nature of the concept has somewhat limited its usefulness in clinical or fieldwork with mass trauma survivors. A learning theory approach to trauma sheds light on the nature of psychosocial interventions that are conducive to empowerment of survivors. As such, the interventions described in the book are likely to be of interest to all care providers who believe empowerment is the way forward in effective care of survivors.Table of ContentsPreface page
Acknowledgments
IntroductionPart I. Theory
A learning theory formulation of earthquake trauma
A learning theory formulation of torture and war traumaPart II. Assessment and Treatment
Assessment
Control-focused behavioral treatment
Assessment and treatment of prolonged grief
An overview of treatment efficacy and mechanisms of recoveryPart II. Implications for Care of Mass Trauma Survivors
A mental healthcare model for earthquake survivors
Issues in care of mass trauma survivors
Issues in rehabilitation of war and torture survivorsAppendix A: Questionnaires
Appendix B: Helping people recover from earthquake trauma: control-focused behavioral treatment delivery manual
Appendix C: Recovering from earthquake trauma: a self-help manual
Index