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VA » Health Care » PTSD: National Center for PTSD » Tips for Providing Support to People Affected by Disaster Events

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Tips for Providing Support to People Affected by Disaster Events

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Offering support to others after a disaster event can make a difference in meaningful ways. Learn some simple tips and examples to open a discussion with someone you want to support.

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Helping others and providing support can make a difference for someone who is having a difficult time during or after disaster events. Disaster events include natural or human-caused disasters, mass violence, or public health emergencies, like disease outbreaks, chemical spills, or radiation emergencies. Following disasters, there are simple ways to talk with others that show support. Use the table to identify potential ways to show empathy and care and adapt the examples to match your personality and relationship.

Ways To Encourage Discussion	Examples
Behaviors	Find a time and place to talk without disruptions Show interest, attention, and care Let them talk without interruption as much as is possible Be free of expectations or judgments Just be with them and let them know they're not alone Share your own ways of dealing with or reframing similar experiences Help them brainstorm solutions and weigh choices to make decisions Help them think through what meaning their experiences hold for them Remind them of their strengths / values Offer to talk any time they need, as is possible
Reflective Comments	"It sounds like…." "From what you're saying, I can see how you would be…." "It sounds like you're saying…." "You seem really…." Make sure your reflections are correct by using sentences like: "Tell me if I'm wrong… it sounds like you…." "Am I right when I say that you…."
Supportive Comments	"No wonder you feel…." "It sounds really hard…." "It sounds like you're being hard on yourself…." "It is such a tough thing to go through something like this." "I'm really sorry this is such a tough time for you." "We can talk more tomorrow if you'd like…."
Empowering Comments / Questions	"What have you done in the past to make yourself better when things got difficult?" "Are there any things that you think would help you to feel better?" "Maybe there is a different way of looking at this that would help you move forward or have less guilt/shame/anger…." "People can be very different in what helps them to feel better. When things got difficult for me, it helped me to…. Would something like that work for you?"

Using these examples can help you to have more empathic, supportive discussions with people. Remember, there is no perfect support. Often the person just needs to know that someone cares enough to listen if they are able to talk about their concerns. Even a short check-in can be helpful in showing someone they are not alone and that others care about them. These types of support can help to reduce their sense of isolation or distress in the wake of disaster events, and may empower them to take positive steps in their life that can help them feel better.

Source

These tips are adapted from Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR), which offers skill-building techniques like problem-solving, positive activity scheduling, reaction management, and healthy social connection development.

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