“Black Saturday” and its Aftermath: Reflecting on Postdisaster Social Work Interventions in an Australian Trauma Hospital

Abstract

Social workers at The Alfred, a major tertiary referral teaching hospital in Melbourne, Australia, played a key role in providing psychosocial support to patients and their families following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in the State of Victoria. Faced with the highest number of casualties ever admitted simultaneously, and the media and community involvement surrounding the national disaster, new practice challenges emerged that led to tensions when compared to everyday practice. This article examines three challenges identified in the team's critical reflections—managing privacy and publicity; negotiating the boundaries of professional practice; and managing the impact of the work. These practice challenges are considered in light of relevant trauma and disaster literature that addresses the importance of promoting self-efficacy, hope, and connectedness; forming collective narratives of survivorship and resilience; negotiating the ethical questions of service intimacy and intensity; and implementing both active and avoidant self-care strategies. These challenges are relevant to disaster work that social workers and other health professionals will respond to in the future, and therefore they can inform disaster planning responses.

2009年维多利亚州黑色星期六的林火灾难之后，在墨尔本的一个主要的三级教学医院阿尔弗莱德医院，社会工作者为那里的病员及其家属提供了关键性的心理支持。面对历来公布的最高死亡率，面对媒体和社区对这一全国灾难的跟进，实践上新的挑战造成了相对于日常实践的紧张。本文讨论了研究团队发现的三个挑战——如何管理私密性和公开性；如何谈判专业实践的界限；如何管理工作的影响。作者结合相关心理创伤及相关灾难的文献做了思考。这些文献都指出了亟需加强自我效能、希望和联系；亟需形成生存与恢复的集体叙事；亟需商量服务的近密程度和密集度；亟需实施积极的、规避性的自我看护策略。这些挑战与社会工作者及其他健康专业人士将来需要面对的灾害密切相关，对于灾害预案会有所启示。

Keywords:

• Bushfires
• Disasters
• Social Work
• Hospital

Notes

¹ In 2002, 88 Australians were killed in the bomb blast in Indonesia. Many injured patients were transferred to Australian hospitals for burns and trauma care, including to The Alfred.