Developing Cultural Competence in Disaster Mental Health Programs:
Guiding Principles and Recommendations

Appendix E:

Glossary

This glossary defines terms often used in the disaster mental health response field and terms that may be useful in understanding cultural competence. The definitions for cultural competence terms are based on standards used by the Federal Government and by national and community-based systems of care.

Acculturation
The process by which an individual or group adopts the identity, customs, and values of another culture.

Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)
A center within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). CMHS advises the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on disaster mental health issues. SAMHSA is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Competence
The capacity to function effectively.

Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program
(commonly referred to as the Crisis Counseling Program)
A program funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 93-288 as amended by Public Law 100-707). The Crisis Counseling Program supports the provision of crisis counseling to individuals and groups who have been affected by a major disaster or its aftermath, educational activities and public information on disaster mental health issues, and disaster mental health consultation and training.

Crisis Counselor (Outreach Worker)
An individual who provides crisis counseling services and ideally is from the community, cultural, or ethnic group that is to receive those services. Crisis counselors are members of, familiar to, and recognized by their own communities. They may be spouses of community leaders, natural leaders in their own right, or individuals who have a nurturing role in their communities. Crisis counselors may include retired persons, students, and community volunteers. They may or may not have formal training in counseling or related professions, and they may be paraprofessionals or professionals.

Cultural Competence
A set of values, behaviors, attitudes, and practices that enables an organization or individual to work effectively across cultures; the ability to honor and respect the beliefs, language, interpersonal styles, and behaviors of individuals and families receiving services as well as of staff who are providing such services.

Culture
The shared attributes of a group of people; a common heritage or learned set of beliefs, norms, and values.

Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress Services Branch
The branch within the Division of Program Development, Special Populations and Projects, CMHS, that provides disaster mental health technical assistance to FEMA and the State Mental Health Authority on the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program.

Ethnicity
The common heritage of a particular group of people; includes shared history, language, rituals, and preferences for music and foods.

Federal Emergency Management Agency
The lead Federal agency in disaster response and recovery; provides funding for crisis counseling grants to State mental health authorities following presidentially declared disasters.

Formative Evaluation
Data-based description of the trends of the program over time.

Healers
Persons who have cultural knowledge and training to relieve people of their physical and emotional afflictions according to their cultural beliefs. Healers may use physical approaches, spirituality, herbs, and other techniques.

Interpretation
The oral restating in one language of information that has been stated in another language (Goode et al., 2001). An interpretation should convey the tone, level, and meaning of the information on which it is based.

Key Stakeholder
One who has a primary interest in the success of the program.

Linguistic Competence
The capacity of an organization or individual to communicate effectively with persons of limited English proficiency, those who are illiterate or have low literacy skills, and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Major Disaster
According to Section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, “any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought) that in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this Act to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.”

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD)
A group of voluntary organizations that have made disaster response a priority. State VOADs perform a similar function at the State level by directing local organizations and governments to area resources.

Outreach
A method for delivering crisis counseling services to disaster survivors; consists primarily of direct contact with survivors in their natural environments.

Paraprofessional
A person who works as a crisis counselor and has a bachelor’s degree or less in a specialty that may or may not be related to counseling. Paraprofessionals have strong intuitive skills, know how to relate well to others, possess good judgment and common sense, and are good listeners. They may or may not be indigenous workers. In times of disaster, they provide outreach, counseling, education, information, and referral services. They work with individuals, families, and groups. Effective crisis counseling programs train paraprofessionals in how to work with people who are experiencing the psychological sequelae of disasters.

Process Evaluation
Changes in the program based on findings/reports from program date.

Professional
A person who has an advanced degree (master’s level or higher) in psychology, social work, counseling, or a related profession. Professionals have experience in the mental health or counseling fields as well as the expertise needed to provide clinical supervision and training to crisis counselors. Typically, a professional coordinates and supervises the local outreach team associated with a crisis counseling program. He or she may provide crisis services directly or offer consultation and support to crisis counselors. Professionals clinically evaluate clients to determine whether their needs exceed the scope of the crisis counseling program. They may work directly with individuals, families, and groups whose problems are unusually challenging or complex.

Professionals often need training on the ways in which crisis counseling for disaster survivors differs from traditional mental health or counseling practice.

Race
A category describing people according to a set of characteristics that are socially important but that are not necessarily defined by visible physical features (DHHS, 2001).

Racial and Ethnic Minority Group
A collective, heterogeneous group of people who identify as African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American (DHHS, 2001, p. 5).

Refugee
A person who, because of fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion, is residing outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country; also, a person who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his or her former habitual residence, is unable or unwilling to return to that country.

Special Population
A targeted group in a disaster-impacted community or area with needs that require specific attention by the crisis counseling program. Special populations include children, adolescents, older adults, elderly persons, members of ethnic and cultural groups, migrant workers, disaster relief workers, persons who are severely mentally ill, persons with disabilities, and homeless persons. Other special populations may be unique to the area being served by the crisis counseling program.

Stafford Act (Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act)
The legislation (Public Law 93-288 as amended by Public Law 100-707) that enables Federal emergency response and services to be provided following a disaster. Section 416 authorizes the President to provide crisis counseling assistance and training for disaster survivors following presidentially declared disasters.

State Mental Health Authority (SMHA)
The lead State government organization for providing mental health services. Because this organization may be a department, division, or branch, depending on the State government system, CMHS and FEMA use the abbreviation “SMHA” to denote the lead mental health organization.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
A component of DHHS. SAMHSA comprises three centers: CMHS, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. CMHS provides technical assistance to FEMA for the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program.

Translation
Written conversion of written materials from one language to another (Goode et al., 2001).

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