APA Dictionary of Psychology

counseling offered to victims and their families, emergency workers, and witnesses during or immediately following a catastrophic event. Individual therapists and counselors and mental health teams are specially trained (e.g., by the American Red Cross) to respond in disaster situations. Their approach may include defusing, debriefing. and other counseling techniques to help traumatized people cope with stress. One aim of the counseling might be to reduce the potential for posttraumatic stress disorder, which may develop after the event.