THE counselling routinely offered to people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster seldom protects them from developing post-traumatic stress. And it could even delay their recovery.
This is the conclusion of a comprehensive review of the “single-session debriefings” offered to victims straight after an incident. In single-session debriefings, a counsellor talks to a victim to help them learn about and prepare for any psychological problems they might encounter later. Such briefings are still used by mental health professionals, although less so in Europe. But the review by a British team suggests it can exacerbate stress in some individuals who might otherwise have recovered normally, either…
