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The following article is printed with permission from AAMFT

Information for Marriage and Family Therapists who are member of AAMFT

1. Update on AAMFT headquarters             2. What can you do to help?         3. Resources for family therapists 

1. Update on AAMFT headquarters

At the AAMFT office in Washington, DC, our hearts are heavy with grief over the tragic events our nation is experiencing. All AAMFT staff, and our families, are safe and accounted for. We closed the office briefly over concerns of safety, but we are back at work and stand ready to support you in the coming weeks and months as you help families in your own community. 

2. What can you do to help? 

As you may know, since 1995 AAMFT has had an agreement with the American Red Cross (ARC) to train AAMFT members in the ARC Disaster Mental Health Services program. To participate, therapists must complete the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Services Course. Portions of the course have been offered at previous AAMFT annual conferences and in some AAMFT divisions, and several AAMFT divisions are likely to coordinate this training in the near future. Those who have not yet received this training will most likely be turned away from volunteering with the ARC at the site of any disaster.   You may ask, what if I am not already trained as a Red Cross mental health volunteer? As we have learned from other tragedies, the urge to help immediately after a disaster is strong. However, the need for family support and therapeutic services continues long after the dust has settled on any disaster, and in fact the greatest need for volunteers may come at that time. As traumatized as we are at the present time, we can anticipate several more waves of terror and grief as the US retaliates against the terrorists, terrorists strike back, and so on. This present situation knows no geographic bounds. The personal experience of trauma is spread among those who were injured, to those who had to wait hours or days for word of their loved ones, to those who were stranded in distant airports. Even those few who were not personally affected cannot help but feel assaulted by these heinous acts, and cannot help but worry about their own safety. The best thing most of us can do at this point is make ourselves available to those suffering in our own communities. First, our association headquarters staff and our division leaders will begin an all-out push to notify the media and the public that our AAMFT members stand ready to help. Second, we will provide you with the resources you need to work with trauma survivors when they arrive in your office.

3. Resources for family therapists 

The AAMFT has added a page to our website, with resources that will prepare you to help the traumatized families who come to you in the coming weeks and months.  You can access it by clicking here: http://www.aamft.org/resources/Trauma_and_Recovery_Resources.htm, or by going to www.aamft.org  and following the link for "resources to practitioners" then "trauma and recovery resources."  There you will find links to pre-screened, helpful sites, as well as copies of AAMFT publications on grief and post-traumatic stress disorder. Some of these resources are written specifically for consumers, and we invite you to print them out and distribute these as you deem helpful and appropriate. Visit this page again in a few days, as we will continue to add links and information.  AAMFT will issue press releases encouraging consumers to avail themselves of the services of family therapists. We will promote the use of our TherapistLocator.net where consumers and other helping professionals can find AAMFT members in any given geographic region, for both direct services and client referrals. (As an aside, if you are a Clinical Member and you have not expanded your listing at TherapistLocator.net, please do so immediately.)  TherapistLocator.net also includes consumer oriented material on a variety of problems, including loss and PTSD.  If you have a media connection or are contacted by the media,  feel free to further disseminate the press release you will find at the aforementioned web page. Consider offering your services to speak about trauma and its impact on families at your local school, civic groups, and places of worship. People across the country will be  interested in learning how to deal with the obvious issues of loss and fear, but you can also offer a voice of reason for managing our anger and respecting our neighbors of all religious and ethnic groups. Conclusion You, our AAMFT members, will be among the footsoldiers in this unsought war on terrorism. Families across North America, with your help, will battle grief and fear for many months to come. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers, and that we will continue to do what we can to call attention to your services and provide you with the resources you need to help those who come to you.   Our best to you,   AAMFT Staff