SC on Crisis, Disaster and Trauma Psychology

The Standing Committee is one of the many committees, boards and project groups residing under the umbrella of EFPA. Standing Committees deal with expertise development and professional development within particular areas of professional practice. The Standing Committee members represent the different National Associations from the European Countries. This enables the Standing Committee to reflect the experiences and work of these countries, building the status and reputation of psychologists in building capacity for dealing with crisis, disasters and trauma in these countries.

Adequate psychosocial intervention following disasters can reduce ill health and foster resilience if handled appropriately. The Standing Committee on crisis, disaster and trauma psychologists wants the citizens of Europe to have access to comparable psychosocial services regardless of where they live. By a more systematic focus on psychosocial support within each Member State’s emergency planning, by proper training of volunteers and professionals, and by describing a minimum level of care for those who experience disasters, this aim can be reached.

The Standing Committee on Crisis, Disaster and Trauma Psychology wants to be leading in Europe in providing direction to psychologists in the development and delivery of expertise in crisis, disaster and trauma psychology, psychosocial crisis management, individual and community resilience building, operational and emergency psychology and evidence based post trauma interventions to provide and mediate evidence based, best practices and to seek consensus on common European values and standards.