VALI J. HAWKINS MITCHELL ’93, PH.D. IN HEALTH SERVICES

Vali J. Hawkins Mitchell was born in Seattle, Wash., during an earthquake that measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. Having survived her first natural disaster, Mitchell has made a career studying how individuals, organizations, and communities deal with both natural and manmade disasters.

 

A certified traumatologist, licensed counselor, business consultant, and executive coach, Mitchell provides training in self-care protocols to a range of employees in industries as varied as finance, health care, and energy. As a disaster mental health counselor for the American Red Cross, she has responded to local and national disasters such as the World Trade Center attacks of 2001, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and weather-related crises in the Pacific Northwest. Mitchell earned her Ph.D. in Health Services and has used her Walden degree to help both communities and organizations recover from catastrophic events.

 

As a leading authority on Emotional Continuity Management, Mitchell has applied her theories to managing emotional reactions during and following a full range of crises, from small human annoyances to catastrophic disasters. She offers suggestions for understanding such reactions should disaster strike your community.

Make a Family Plan. Prepare now for any type of disaster and encourage your neighbors to do the same. At the absolute minimum, keep three days’ worth of nonperishable food in your home along with fresh water and a flashlight. This type of planning is “fire extinguisher thinking.” Most people have a fire extinguisher in their homes, but they never have to use it. But if you have it ready, you can forget about it unless you really need it.

Disasters Have Their Own Agenda. There is no predicting what course a disaster may take as events unfold and people band together for the duration of the incident. However, after a disaster, people typically go back to their lives within a very short period of time, sometimes even 72 hours or fewer. But keep in mind that the more severe the losses, the longer it may take to normalize life, and for some, there will need to be a “new normal.”

Take Care of Yourself First. In the aftermath of any type of disaster or tragedy, before you can help others you must first take your own pulse. Go through a personal checklist, looking at your own physical, mental, social, spiritual, and emotional health. Each one of these factors must be well managed to create a healthy balance. This holds true for individuals as much as it does for systems, organizations, and communities.

Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best. Learn how to think outside your normal experience. At the scene of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, trauma was to be expected. But we had not expanded our consciousness to include many of the horrendous things survivors had to deal with, including watching people jump out of windows. Expecting the unexpected helps people survive by creating readiness. It isn’t paranoia; it is good sense.

Beware of Disasters Inside the Disaster. When a tragic event is over, it is not really over. Disasters come in waves of loss of control. Each wave has its own size and shape, and even after the setting has calmed, those waves churn into new waves. Losses that happen after the initial impact are just as keenly felt as those in the first wave. Families may argue, people may increase alcohol consumption, and someone may commit suicide, while others may leave homes and communities, forever creating huge economic gaps. In fact, these disasters inside the disaster can be even more disastrous because they do not get the press, attention, or care necessary for complete recovery.

Reach Out to Others. Social change does not happen in isolation. When you are coping a little better, reach out to others. Let them know they can make it, too. When you are standing on solid ground, even for a moment, reach out and help your neighbors or friends recognize that we are all in this together.

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