crisis therapy

after the tsunami hit, headlines repeatedly emphasized the need for therapists to aid traumatized victims. although surely most agree that resources should go to food, clean water, and shelter before all else, afterwards why not send bands of professionals to patch up wounded psyches while physical wounds heal?

the problem, of course, is that therapists burn resources. this trade-off may be justified if the aid brings real relief, but psychiatrist sally satel writes that such measures may not just unhelpful; they're often flat-out ignored:

Kenneth Miller, a psychologist in the Bosnian Mental Health Program in Chicago, saw much suffering among his clients - they had been placed in concentration camps before migrating to the United States - yet the most successful feature of his program was not therapy, which most clients rejected anyway. It was practical help like education and job training.

it may make us feel good to send psychologists to talk about feelings and repressed trauma, but most crisis victims in developing countries are at a different place in the hierarchy of needs than our therapy techniques were developed to address. we should recognize this, realize that psychology is not magic, and concentrate our efforts where they can help the most.