When Their World Falls Apart
Helping Families and Children Manage the Effects of Disaster, 2nd Edition
This book will be greatly welcomed by social workers, teachers, medical, and health and mental health practitioners whose work is increasingly with people whose “worlds fall apart” because of natural or technological disasters. Between its pages can be found conceptual frameworks, extensive references to pertinent literature, and specific learning objectives for each chapter.
A major contribution of this book is its focus on developmental theory and insights into what is known, and not known, about children’s responses to different types of disasters. The ecological perspective as utilized in this work identifies the needs of children and adults in the context of family and community.
The discussion of resiliency explores what individual or community variables affect the ability to recover from disastrous events. Can disasters be prevented or its effects minimized? A preventive intervention strategy is outlined which presents hope in place of despair and some guides for action. Through the authors’ creative talents, readers are brought face to face with their own potential response to disaster through “Touching Reality” exercises.
Norma J. Berkowitz, MSSW
President, Friends of Chernobyl Centers, U.S. Inc.
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In the wake of every disaster or terrorist act, there are children and families struggling to make sense of the event and clinicians struggling to make sense of the scattered literature and potential resources for supporting them. This thought provoking text, which combines the international, cross-cultural, empirical, theoretical, and interdisciplinary expertise of four distinguished authors, provides and unprecedented breadth and depth of coverage of the theory and research that must surround psychosocial intervention for children and families following disasters.
Readers who seek to be educated before disaster strikes have “struck gold” in this publication. It presents not only the content of our disaster strikes have “struck gold” in this publication. It presents not only the content of our disaster knowledge in digestible form, but also stimulates critical thinking and application of the knowledge in a classroom or professional development setting. The “Touching Reality” and history-based vignettes make this a unique and intriguing teaching tool for undergraduate students as well as for professional audiences.
Unfortunately, we cannot expect to completely shelter children and families from exposure to disaster and terrorist acts. With the help of this invaluable book, we have been given a marvelous opportunity to develop informed, thoughtful, and motivated helpers, who are available “when their world falls apart.”
Conway F. Saylor, PhD, ABPP
Professor of Psychology, The Citadel
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When Their World Falls Apart is an amazingly well organized, comprehensive and informative wealth of resourceful information for understanding disasters. These internationally renowned authors have put together an invaluable “must read” guide to understanding the various dynamics of manmade, natural, and technological disasters, how these traumas affect those impacted; behavioral and cultural criteria to be considered; identifying and dealing with one’s issues; and much more.
Impacts of disasters at the local community, national, and international levels are explored with a multitude of “hands on” examples. Included is an extensive review of literature, theory, and clinical experiences. These experienced authors are able to share what has and has not worked and why. An abundance of up-to-date material, including notes for the trainer, and helping the helper.
Joni Diamond, LCSW, BCC
Chair, NASW California Chapter/ARC (American Red Cross) Council
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