hurricane sandy: integrating clinical and spiritual care

HURRICANE SANDY: Integrating Clinical and

Spiritual CareMelanie Goldberg, LMSW

Planning Associate, Caring CommissionUJA-Federation of New York

TAKE-AWAYS:Themes of Presentation

Trauma as spiritual opener

Trauma as multi-dimensional

Trauma as community-based

SETTING THE STAGE:A City in Crisis

SETTING THE STAGE:Initial Needs and Response

17 Million

Long Island WestchesterNew York City

HUNGER ISOLATION POVERTY

LOSS OF POWER INSTABILITY DISPLACEMENT

$14 Million

Synagogues Day SchoolsAgencies

281,000 meals

270,000 bottles of water

Cash assistance for 2,000 people

Supplies for 30,000 people

Social work support for

25,500 people

Cleanup for 4,000 homes

ONE YEAR LATER:Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Red = High Exposure/DisplacementPurple = Low Exposure

Levels of PTSD following a Natural Disaster

Neria, Y., Nandi, A., & Galea, S. (2007). Post-traumatic stress disorder following disasters: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine. pp. 1-14

• 22%• 9%

6-12 Months • 19%

• 3%

12-36 Months

ONE YEAR LATER:Ongoing Needs

fear

anxiety loss

depression loneliness

frustration

anger panic

stress

confusion

pain

helplessness

ONE YEAR LATER:Case Example

“Everyone tells me I should be happy to have a new dishwasher, a new sofa… but I want to be able to open my kitchen drawer and pull out my favorite spoon to cook with;

it had an olive wood handle; I got it from Israel and it meant so much to me.”

ONE YEAR LATER:Case Example

fear

anxiety loss

depression loneliness

frustration

anger panic

stress

confusion

pain

helplessness

A TRADITIONAL DIVIDE:Mental Health and Spiritual Care

Mental Health

Spirituality

THE CASE FOR COHESION:Clinical and Spiritual Care

Spirituality and Social Work, Dialogue and Universalism, 2006

Spirituality and Psychiatry [book], 2009

Introducing Spirituality, Religion, and Culture Curricula in the Psychiatry Residence Program, Medical Humanities, 2010

Practitioners’ Understandings of Spirituality: Implications for Social Work Education, Journal of Social Work Education, 2010

Training and Education in Religion/Spirituality within APA-Accredited Clinical Psychology Programs: 8 Years Later, Journal of Religion and Health, 2011

Spirituality in Social Work and Education: Theory, Practice, and Pedagogies, Social Work Education: The International Journal, 2013

Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry [book], 2009

OUR APPROACH:Holistic Community-Based Care

Mental Health and

Spiritual Care Providers

Client

Case Managers

Social Workers

Program Directors

Rabbis, teachers, and other

leaders

TAKE-AWAYS:Themes of Presentation

Trauma as spiritual opener

Trauma as multi-dimensional

Trauma as community-based

Illness as spiritual opener

Illness as multi-dimensional

Illness as community-based

Stress as spiritual opener

Stress as multi-dimensional

Stress as community-based

Divorce as spiritual opener

Divorce as multi-dimensional

Divorce as community-based

Thank you!