Community Corner

Mental Health Group Helps Sandy Survivors 'Find A New Normal'

Monmouth County team conducted more than 10,000 personal contacts in the six months following Superstorm Sandy

Story by Elaine Piniat

The mood has changed.

A log from NJ Hope and Healing shows that people impacted by Hurricane Sandy have gone from feeling shocked, sad and tired with a loss of appetite to angry, hopeless and unable to make decisions.

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“We help them to understand that what they are experiencing are normal reactions to abnormal situations,” said Beth Sidlow, co-team leader for NJ Hope and Healing’s Monmouth County team.

NJ Hope and Healing is a project sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Disaster and Terrorism Branch, through a FEMA grant. The organization offers support to communities in the aftermath of Sandy.

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“We coordinate statewide efforts to help individuals and communities manage the emotional impact of the Superstorm Sandy,” Wendy Chin, At Risk Coordinator with the Disaster and Terrorism Branch, previously said.

Disaster Mental Health Teams are providing support in storm-impacted communities in 10 counties, she said. Through a special certification system, more than 700 volunteers throughout the state have been trained to provide immediate emotional support after a disaster.

Normalizing the experience

NJ Hope and Healing hit the ground just three weeks after Sandy with 30 counselors in the field. It began with an Immediate Services Program (ISP), which is only supposed to last 60 days. Sandy’s ISP lasted six-and-a-half months. 

During the ISP period, counselors identify hurting communities and needs. A large part of that is canvassing, crisis counselors going door to door in neighborhoods largely impacted by the storm. With the use of maps, the counselors are able to pinpoint areas of greatest need.

Through canvassing, Hope and Healing provides a “compassionate presence” as well as resources, referrals and information about listening posts and support groups.

“Canvassing allows us to reach people where they are and lets them know they are not alone,” Sidlow said. “We help to normalize the experience and provide tools and resources to help folks move forward and find a new normal.”

As of May 31, more than 150,000 residents across New Jersey have received counseling and outreach services. The Monmouth team conducted more than 10,000 personal contacts with survivors during ISP, Monmouth County Team Leader Pamela Caputo said.

The counselors also collect anonymous data, unless an individual wishes to be identified. An Individual/Family Crisis Counseling Services Encounter Log is filled out upon face-to-face encounters. The form breaks down demographics, location of service, risk categories, event reactions, the focus of the encounter materials provided and referrals.

“We are seeing some increase in stress, anxiety and depression as well as an increase in substance abuse relapse,” Sidlow said. “Coping mechanisms are stressed. No one expected the recovery to take this long, while full recovery is still a long way off.”

Some people have completed repairs and are settled in their residences but still “do not feel like home,” Sidlow said. Others continue to struggle to complete the necessary legwork.

“They just want things to get back to normal,” she said.

Data trickles up to the federal government, ultimately affecting funding, which is expected to dwindle as time goes on.

Gov. Chris Christie announced in May that the state has received an $11.5 million grant from FEMA, allowing the Department of Human Services to expand the NJ Hope and Healing program. The state originally received $4 million from FEMA to launch the Hope and Healing Program.

“Disasters like Sandy damage more than just property – for many the sense of loss, helplessness and hopelessness is unshakeable,” said DHS Commissioner Jennifer Velez. “Restoring survivors’ emotional and psychological balance is a fundamental factor in New Jersey’s rebuilding process.”

Through this grant, NJ Hope and Healing partners will continue to provide community outreach, emotional support, crisis counseling and referral services.

‘Go forward’

The next phase, the Regular Services Program (RSP), began June 1.

Although the program’s messaging and informational materials change to address shifting needs, the goal of providing emotional support and assisting survivors remains the same, said Rene Burawski, Program Director for NJ Hope and Healing.

NJ Hope and Healing will continue canvassing but will be working to reconnect people to their communities. They are setting up community support groups, Classroom/Community/Culture Based Intervention for school-aged children and teens, and Skills for Psychological Recovery groups, a skills-building intermediate intervention for children, teens and adults.

While NJ Hope and Healing counselors understand the stages of recovery from a disaster, they encourage survivors on the path back to their pre-storm level of functioning, Caputo said.

“The RSP typically lasts for 9 months, but based on the scope of the event, can last beyond that. It is not uncommon for the RSP to be extended,” Burawski said.

But since entering the RSP phase, many of the Disaster Recover Centers have closed. The number of survivor contacts diminishes by approximately 15 percent each week, Caputo said.

“As the grant deadlines come up and as we approach the one-year anniversary in October, we anticipate a greater need,” Caputo said, adding that the Monmouth team is increasing their staff by six.

NJ Hope and Healing has established bases of operation in the libraries, firehouses, churches and borough halls in Union Beach, Keansburg, Hazlet, Sea Bright, Oceanport, Long Branch, Neptune, Manasquan, Lake Como and Belmar. The Monmouth team expects to add Monmouth Beach, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Fort Monmouth in the next two weeks.

“The Monmouth Team will continue to provide resources, facilitate support groups, offer crisis counseling and referrals, and maintain a compassionate presence for the towns’ residents throughout this next phase of recovery,” Caputo said.

Being a part of NJ Hope and Healing has allowed Caputo to find her own recovery and focus on what is important — "a strong and stable community."

When Sandy struck, Caputo had just celebrated her first profitable month for her new business in Eatontown. While the business didn’t sustain physical damage, the storm destroyed the client base for four months.

“At the end of the day, it isn’t what we have or what we lost,” she said. “It is about what we think, what we do and what we manifest… That’s what helps us go forward.”

To contact NJ Hope and Healing’s toll free helpline, call 877-294-4357. Also, visit www.disastermentalhealthnj.com for more information and resources.


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