Healing Communities in Times of Crisis: Front-Line Workers Meet In Boston June 19-20
Statewide Conference Hosted by Simmons College School of Social Work, Mass. 911 Fund

BOSTON (June 10, 2003) - In an era of unparalleled crises across America—from the World Trade Center attacks to schoolyard shootings to the night club fire in Rhode Island—a unique statewide conference will be held in Boston June 19-20 for emergency workers, mental health professionals and policymakers to explore together how best to help stress-ridden communities cope and heal.

“These are traumatic, changing times,” says Joseph Regan, dean of the Simmons College School of Social Work. “It’s imperative for those of us who work with people under extreme stress to come together now to seek the best ways to help individuals and communities get through crisis, begin healing, and move forward with hope and confidence.”

The conference, “Leadership and Healing in Times of Crisis: Dilemmas, Opportunities and Community Resilience,” is hosted by the Urban Leadership Program of the Simmons College School of Social Work and the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund.

Participants are those who are confronted regularly in their jobs with dilemmas produced by fear, crisis and trauma: members of emergency medical services, fire and rescue teams, media, medicine, mental health organizations, public safety personnel, victim advocacy groups, and religious organizations.

For registration information contact Joanne Williams at Simmons College at 617-521-3900.

The conference will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 19 and 20 in the Conference Center, Main Campus Building of Simmons College, 300 The Fenway in Boston.

The conference is designed to create a dialogue and develop models for practice across a variety of disciplines, and define the skills required to manage trauma most effectively and provide leadership in crises both large and small.

Through a series of simulations, workshops, and panels, participants will explore partnerships and support systems to develop new models for crisis management and long-term healing of individuals and communities.

Offices and people leading the various discussions include chief of the City of Boston Emergency Medical Services, the head of the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, the chief chaplain of the Mass. Corps of Fire Chaplains, the senior advisor of Region I of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Commissioner of the Mass. Department of Social Services, the Mass. Office of Victim Assistance, the Disaster Mental Health Services of the American Red Cross, Boston area media, the Victim Compensation and Assistance Division of the Mass. Office of the Attorney General, and the President of the National Association of Social Workers.

A brief program summary follows.

Thursday, June 19:
--Disaster simulations: “victims” and “responders” will be assigned randomly to experience the chaotic nature of a crisis and understand the roles of responders. (Note to reporters: because of space and other limitations, this session is not open to media).
--Practical issues in managing crisis: discussion of continuum of care for disaster survivors, and role of various responders.
--Crises from survivors’ perspectives: videotaped interviews with crisis survivors to understand their short-term and long-term perspectives, effect on families, and what is and is not helpful in crisis situations.
--Building collaboration: front-line crisis responders will identify traditional turf issues and other conflicts that can arise in a crisis, and the challenges of building collaboration
Friday, June 20:
--Differences in responding to crisis: how to deliver services across cultures and classes, identifying biases and obstacles to providing services to people of different backgrounds.
--Mental health issues for working with survivors: How to access services for survivors both short-term and long-term, what to expect when working with them, and the spiritual and emotional components of working with survivors.
--Responder resilience over time: how responders should care for themselves so they can care for others in crisis on a daily basis. Best practices for managers and supervisors to help responders avoid burnout.
--Long-term community care and follow up: helping communities cope and heal following a crisis. What happens after everyone leaves; who helps those left behind? Needs of a community to heal and build community resistance
--Confronting the criminal justice system: Victims’ involvement in investigation and prosecution can trigger traumatic responses; exploration of victims’ roles in the criminal justice system and how to protect victims from “secondary victimization.”

Conference co-sponsors include: Massachusetts 911, Boston Public Health Commission, Fleet Boston Financial, Home for Little Wanderers, Mass. Campaign for America’s Professional Social Workers, Mass. Chapter of the American Red Cross, Mass. Council of Human Service Providers, Mass. Emergency Medical Services, Mass. Office of Victim Assistance, Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Trinity Church Boston Pastoral Counseling Center, and the United Homes for Children.

CONTACT

Diane Millikan
617.521.2364

 

 

 

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