Notes on Resilience
Conversations about trauma, resilience, and compassion.
How do we genuinely support individuals who have experienced trauma and build inclusive and safe environments? Trauma significantly affects the mental and physical health of those who experience it, and personal resiliency is only part of the solution. The rest lies in addressing organizational, systemic, and social determinants of health and wellness, and making the effort to genuinely understand the impact of trauma.
Here, we ask and answer the tough questions about how wellness is framed in an organizational context, what supports are available and why, what the barriers are to supporting trauma survivors, and what best practices contribute to mental wellness. These conversations provide a framework to identify areas for change and actionable steps to reshape organizations to be truly trauma sensitive.
Notes on Resilience
92: Technology and Well-being: Connecting Through Crisis, with Christian Burgess
What if you had access to a lifeline that could help you navigate the mental health challenges brought on by natural or human-caused disasters?
In the first episode in our series on technology and well-being, Christian Burgess, director of the Disaster Distress Helpline, explains how this 24/7 national crisis hotline, supported by Vibrant Emotional Health and funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is an essential part of the broader 988 Suicide and Crisis network.
Discover how the helpline provides emotional support, coping strategies, and resource referrals to individuals facing traumatic events, all while maintaining a personal connection through the principles of psychological first aid (PFA).
Christian also discusses the uniquely ongoing nature of disaster recovery, emphasizing the helpline's role in offering support long after the initial crisis has passed, and underscores the enduring impact of disasters and the necessity for continuous mental health resources. Christian brings his expertise and personal connection to the LGBTQ+ community into the conversation, adding a layer of depth to understanding the diverse needs of disaster survivors.
Tune in to learn how technology and human empathy come together to support individuals in their journey toward recovery.
Based in Gresham, Oregon, Christian Burgess, LMSW, is Director of the Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH), a program of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration administered by the not-for-profit Vibrant Emotional Health. Christian joined Vibrant in 2010 and became Director of the DDH in 2012, helping to launch the program. The DDH is the only crisis hotline national in scope and dedicated to providing 24/7/365 emotional support for survivors and responders of natural or human-caused disasters. In 2021, Christian led the launch of two new DDH services, an online peer support program connecting survivors and responders in offering/receiving mutual aid and support during recovery, and a dedicated DDH Videophone option which connects Deaf/Hard of Hearing American Sign Language users experiencing disaster distress directly with DDH counselors fluent in ASL. Christian also worked for over 10 years in youth violence prevention and trauma intervention in New York City, including as Director of School Programs at Safe Horizon, one of the nation's largest service providers for victims of crime and abuse.
Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990
Learn more about the helpline on the SAMHSA website or email them at ddh@vibrant.org, or find the helpline on Twitter or Facebook.
Go to https://betterhelp.com/resilience or click Notes on Resilience during sign up for 10% off your first month of therapy with my sponsor BetterHelp.
Producer / Editor: Neel Panji
Invite Manya to inspire and empower your teams + position your organization as a forward-thinking leader in fostering resilience and trauma sensitivity.
#trauma #resilience #MentalHealth #leadership #survivor
People impacted by disasters can benefit from five things in the aftermath. That's, from having a sense of safety, a sense of connection, a sense of individual and collective self-efficacy, a sense of hope and a sense of promise that recovery is possible. So that's what we do on the Disaster Distress Helpline. In our training with Psychological First Aid we take principles of PFA with the Disaster Distress Helpline and also apply those to a call or text setting.
Manya Chylinski:Hello and welcome to Notes on Resilience. I'm your host, manya Chilinski. My guest today is Christian Burgess. He's the director of the Disaster Distress Helpline, which is a program of the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. We talked about the helpline and how they are using technology to support people experiencing distress or other mental health concerns related to disaster. I think you're really going to learn a lot in this episode, christian. I'm so glad we're getting a chance to talk today. Thank you.
Christian Burgess:You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Manya Chylinski:Before we dive into the topic at hand question, I start for everyone. If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
Christian Burgess:I love this question and, for me, I'm gay and I'm a proud gay man and a part of the LGBTQ plus community. So I'm going to cheat a little bit, because I would really choose a group.
Manya Chylinski:Okay.
Christian Burgess:Which is anyone who was witness to the Stonewall Rebellion that happened in June 1969 in New York City, which, of course, was a seminal turning point for gay rights in this country, and I think, if I had to choose anyone who's been identified as having been present during the several nights of the response to the police entrapment that had happened at the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City, which spurred the rebellion, there are two women, marsha Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who really became icons of the queer community and went on to do a lot of good within the trans community, with marginalized populations within the queer community, and so, but really I just I would love to talk with them about what their experience was like, what they were witness to at that moment of history.
Manya Chylinski:Oh, that's a great one and that's one. Potentially there are still folks around who might be able to share about that, so we have to see if we can make that happen. I got chills when you were talking about that. I just I think you're right. That was such an important junction in history and much to learn from. Well, thank you for sharing. And now we're going to dive into our topic, which is talking about technology and well-being, in a slightly different way than we are in other episodes in this series. But we want to talk about your work on the Disaster Distress Helpline and how that is a way that we're using technology to support people who are in distress. So, first of all, can you just explain to us what the helpline is?
Christian Burgess:Sure, so the Disaster Distress Helpline is actually the country's only crisis hotline that's national in scope and dedicated to supporting anyone in the United States and territories that are experiencing distress or other mental health concerns related to natural or human-caused disasters. We actually launched in 2012 as a 24-7, 365 resource that never stands down, so it's always available and Vibrant Emotional Health. We are the administrators of this program, which means we operate a network of independently operated crisis centers across the country that actually take the calls and the texts that come in, that actually take the calls and texts that come in, and so we support these crisis centers in their work. And the program is funded by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, and so it is a federal program that's administered by Vibrant. We're actually affiliated with the 9 to 8 Suicide and Crisis.
Manya Chylinski:Okay.
Christian Burgess:And so we're considered a sub-network, which basically means we're in the same family of services as the 988 network, but I would want to emphasize that we are a separate number.
Christian Burgess:So for the Disaster Distress Helpline, people can call or text 1-800-985-5990, at which point you'll be connected to a crisis counselor that can listen to what's on your mind regarding a disaster event, validate whatever feelings you're experiencing and what you've been through with that event, also help you explore healthy coping for yourself or loved ones that have been impacted, and can provide trusted resources for follow-up, care and support in your community.
Christian Burgess:So, again, it's a 24-7, 365 resource. We say that there's always a disaster happening somewhere yes, even if it doesn't make headlines, and there's always someone recovering from a disaster somewhere, which is why we partnered with SAMHSA to launch the DDH in 2012, because we know that for many people, there is no timeline for recovery, and so it's important that we have a specialized resource like this for disaster survivors and responders, no matter where they are in their journey whether it's immediately before a disaster, where there can be distress implications involved, like when you know a hurricane is coming, of course. Where there can be distress implications involved, like when you know a hurricane is coming. Of course, there can be distress during a disaster, and then there can be distress after a disaster, including for weeks, months and even years, depending on the scope of impact that it had in your life. So that's what we do.
Manya Chylinski:Wow, thank you. First of all, that is amazing work and I appreciate that you look at the entire timeline, not just that the disaster has just happened or is about to happen, but it is available for people who are needing help months or years later, because we know that it's not something everyone is able to brush off instantaneously interactions to what was an abnormal situation, but are going to be able to bounce back fairly quickly, particularly with support from loved ones or whatever their support network might be.
Christian Burgess:But for another subset of that population of people who were living or working in a disaster affected area and we're talking about hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, as well as incidents of mass violence like mass shootings or acts of terrorism we're also talking about the COVID pandemic, which was actually one of the largest disasters that the country has ever experienced yes, and so we're just meeting people where they are, on that journey of recovery.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, and I'm so grateful for the work that you and the team do I at this moment that we're recording it there right now. I know several people who are impacted by wildfires in California and watching their journey of what is happening. How do I get help? Who do I reach out to? How do I take care of myself as all of this is happening? How do I get help? Who do I reach out to? How do I take care of myself as all of this is happening? It can be heartbreaking to see all of the help people need and when they don't know how to get that help, and for me, the mental health support is particularly important. That's something that I don't think was addressed in the way it could have been after the Boston Marathon bombing, which was my experience with a disaster.
Christian Burgess:Yeah, and I was going to say that sort of. In that subset of people impacted by disaster, where most people are going to be able to bounce back fairly quickly with support from loved ones, that subset of the population are at risk for more serious mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, difficulty sleeping or performing necessary tasks that can help them on that path of recovery. And so that's partly why the Disaster Distress Helpline was created and is available as well, is to provide that more focused crisis counseling and emotional support to people who really might be struggling. And that's especially acute when, in the aftermath of a disaster, there's a lot of people who come to the scene and who provide support, there might be rebuilding. There are new services that spring up in the aftermath of an event, similar to services that happened after the Boston Marathon bombing.
Christian Burgess:But in the weeks and months after, as services start to phase down and as headlines shift, inevitably they go on to the next newsmaker, newsmaker, and as people start to take stock of their losses, it can be really lonely, and so those feelings of isolation can intensify. People might think it seems like everyone else is able to move on, but I'm not. So that's really where the disaster distress helpline comes in as well is in that long-term recovery to make sure people always feel that they're never alone and that recovery is possible and that we're there to support them on that journey. Yes, Christian.
Manya Chylinski:It's like you were inside my head because immediately following and for a long time after, I felt isolated. People are not talking about this. The mental health side People have moved on, other people are saying you should be better, and so I just intimately know that feeling of isolation and wanting to find somebody who I can talk to, who gets it.
Christian Burgess:Yeah, absolutely.
Manya Chylinski:Absolutely so. You know, we're talking about technology and well-being, and this is such an amazing example of how we're using technology for good. And so, since it's a helpline, people are talking to live human beings on the other side, correct. So how are we just making sure that this is supportive of that human connection, even if we're talking to somebody we're never going to talk to again?
Christian Burgess:Well, I think that it's a great question. And also crisis hotlines like the Disaster Distress Helpline. It is technology and this isn't the sort of operation where I went in and I turned on the lights, I had a four-hour shift and then, when I left, I turned the lights off and we actually used an old-fashioned handheld phone when the calls came in. But now crisis hotlines, of course, have evolved over the years and it really is about using technology to meet people where they are, because these are sophisticated systems that we're using to staff the services 24-7, to route calls, to make sure that as many calls are being answered as quickly as possible. And so to your question about human interaction. The human interaction element of this is that there is another person on that other side, and that's one of the things that we really try to promote in outreach about the crisis hotlines, like the disaster distress helpline, is that it is a human connection, even though you're obviously using a device to make that, whether it's through text or call advice to make that, whether it's through text or call. And so a lot of this goes down to the training that we give to our crisis centers to make sure that they're adept and that they have the resources they need to really form that connection. And that connection can be formed in a very brief period of time. It might be a five-minute call or 30 minute phone call or text session.
Christian Burgess:And so it's a real, very specialized skill that crisis counselors have to be able to form that initial connection with the crisis contact, make them feel that they're present and focused on them, that the person who's reached out and focused on them, that the person who's reached out and sort of that arc that happens in the in the course of a five-minute session, of what I mentioned earlier, feeling validated, heard, understood, supported, and so that I think that really enhances that human connection through this technological platform.
Christian Burgess:And then I'll also say that this is also a skill set for texting as well, because obviously with hotlines there is a voice connection or in the case of deaf and hard of hearing crisis contacts, there's a visual connection with ASL, but with text sometimes that can feel a little more obviously a disconnect because you can't see the person or hear them, because you can't see the person or hear them. So it's also a skill for crisis counselors to make sure that in a text interaction that the person also at the other end feels that they're present and that there's a connection and there is a way to do that. And our crisis counselors are great at making sure the person in a text session also feels heard and listened to.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, so you mentioned that you are not 988. That's a different service. You're sort of part of it and you're working. You know you're connected with SAMHSA. What is different about the training or about the services that people will get when they call the disaster distress helpline versus a more general crisis helpline?
Christian Burgess:Sure, it's a great question. First, I'll say that, because we are considered a sub-network of the lifeline, the disaster distress helpline is equipped to support people who are experiencing more acute mental health crises, like super fidelity threats to self or others. The difference, though, is that disaster distress cell phone callers and texters because they are survivors and responders of disaster events are far less likely to be experiencing general or acute mental health issues. Okay, the vast majority of our contacts are experiencing those temporary distress reactions to an abnormal situation, and so the training that we use is grounded in a concept called psychological first aid, which is actually a common method that's used in the field of disaster events, such as shelters, family support centers, etc. And psychological first aid is actually an evidence-informed practice that shows that people impacted by disasters can benefit from five things in the aftermath, that's, from having a sense of safety, a sense of connection, a sense of individual and collective self-efficacy, a sense of hope and a sense of promise that recovery is possible. Yes, so that's what we do on the Disaster Distress Helpline. In our training with Psychological First Aid, we take principles of PFA with the Disaster Distress Helpline and also apply those to a call or text setting, so we we call this active engagement, where we're sort of taking the crisis contact, almost like on a journey in that session again, whether it's five minutes or 30 minutes. So we're we're engaging with them and that initial connection is really important to make sure that the person knows that the counselor is present and there for them. And that's also an introduction and just that initial rapport. We call it establishing warm support and compassionate presence in that session.
Christian Burgess:Then we explore what's on the person's mind, what their presenting concerns are, and in that we might talk about healthy coping. We talk about we help them to identify social supports that they have available to them, that sort of thing. We also then go into resources that are available to them in their community. So that's a connect stage to make sure that they know that there are additional resources available to them, such as a local crisis center or it might be related to a disaster like American Red Cross or other resources like that.
Christian Burgess:And then the conclusion part of that is actually also really important because that's when we summarize the content of the session. We might go through steps that we talked about with the person. We might go through some problem solving that we had reviewed with the individual, and the other important thing about that conclusion is that we always end with reminding them that we continue to be available with that 24-7 support. That goes back to what I said about making sure that the person knows that they're never alone in this journey. So that's sort of what we do, and it's very similar to the lifeline and to what a person would experience from the lifeline and other crisis hotlines, the primary difference being that on the disaster distress helpline, our contacts are just far less likely to need emergency interventions.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, yeah.
Christian Burgess:Yes.
Manya Chylinski:Yeah, yes, I appreciate those five pillars of psychological first aid that you mentioned and that last one of a sense of hope that you are going to get better. You know the situation will get better. I can tell you that was distinctly lacking in my experience. I didn't know you guys existed at the time, which you did, so I didn't call. That was something I was really looking for and was not able to find it. So just feels so good to know that that is an important element of your communications with people who are in crisis communications with people who are in crisis Right, absolutely.
Christian Burgess:I think that other part of that for us is also the power of peer support is speaking of using technology. One of the things that we have with the Disaster Distress Helpline is a platform that we have as that sort of an extension of the project. We have a sort of a standard website that we operate through with SAMHSA, which is the URL is SAMHSAgov forward slash DDH SAMHSAgov forward slash DDH. We also have a companion website called strengthafterdisasterorg in 2017 as a tool for actually connecting survivors across disasters, because we know that it really helps someone on their journey of recovery to learn from people who have been through similar events yes, what has helped them in their recovery, and so we call it sharing stories of hope and strength during recovery.
Christian Burgess:So this isn't a site where you would go to read graphic details of what someone experienced in a disaster. That might be activating actually for a person if they were to see that or hear it or read it. So the focus is on hope and strength. It doesn't mean we polish or look at it through rose-colored glasses, because obviously a lot of people do have difficulties in recovery, but it's really about what helped you cope through those difficulties on your journey. And so we have this website to sort of collect stories across disaster events. Many of them are from third-party resources that we just we feature on the site. Others are original stories that people have submitted, but the goal being that we recognize that peer element is a really powerful tool in helping someone move forward on that path of recovery.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, there is something special about hearing from someone who has a similar experience, that is, it just is different from hearing anybody else who's offering you support, when the person's actually there's that quote about. If you've been in the arena, then I can sort of listen to what you're saying. I will trust you. So we've been talking a lot about mental and emotional support, but it sounds like, and psychological first aid. But it sounds like you're also saying that the you provide people information about resources. So after a disaster, people might need to rebuild, they might need to have insurance related questions. I think there's a lot of complex needs after a disaster. Is that what you mean when you say resources?
Christian Burgess:It is.
Christian Burgess:It could be related to those kind of concrete or tangible resources, and a lot of times you might think, well, everybody knows about FEMA, or everybody knows about this resource or that, but the truth is, in the aftermath of a disaster, there is that can be that sense of chaos, and a person's life has been disrupted to the extent where they're not focused on the resources that you might have been aware of before the disaster, and so we're helping that person to understand what is available to them, and sometimes it might be that they have tried those resources and that they're just not working for them for whatever reason, and so we're helping them to explore alternatives. And really for us, though, it's about getting beneath the surface of the resources and to the feeling element of whatever they're experiencing.
Christian Burgess:There are resources out there, like 211, information and referral, that specialize in more granular resources after a disaster, like where to go for shelter, food, clothing, disaster case management, that sort of thing. That's not our specialty. Our specialty is crisis and emotional support, and so, while resources are a key part of that because having resources and information can actually help a person feel calmer and more in control of a situation that very much feels out of control what we do is we always try to look beneath those kind of concrete needs to get to the feeling element of what a person is going through. Sometimes you can uncover a lot in that process.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, I imagine that you can, absolutely.
Christian Burgess:Right. The person may have reached out initially thinking that we are information referral and so they're wanting the number to this resource or access to this service. But in the conversations that we're having with them, we're actually to uncover the distress that they're going through, whether for themselves or loved ones that they might be concerned about.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, well, I so appreciate the work you do and I appreciate you being here to share more about the helpline. I know I feel confused sometimes with the different helplines that are available. Some are local, some are national, so I just appreciate learning more about what this is and how it can be helpful. And we're getting ready to wrap up. But is there anything I didn't ask you that you want to make sure people know about the helpline?
Christian Burgess:I think that one of the things a couple of things is to add on that we are a multilingual service, again with sort of with a theme of technology. Something that's very common with crisis hotlines these days is that we do have 24-7 access to live interpretation, and that's certainly something different than what was available 20 years ago or longer. We have direct crisis counseling in Spanish, so when people call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990, they'll actually hear a press to option in Spanish, which will then connect them directly with a bilingual crisis counselor. Beyond that, we can actually connect callers to the hotline with third-party interpretation in over 200 languages spoken in the United States.
Christian Burgess:The Disaster and Stress Helpline also just now is ending a video phone option for deaf and hard of hearing American Sign Language users. This is a program that we actually launched in 2021, at the peak of the COVID pandemic, and it provides a direct person-to-person connection without relay, without a third-party relay, so an ASL user would be connected directly with a trained crisis worker who is fluent in ASL and who likely is deaf or hard of hearing themselves, and so, unfortunately, the funding for that program is no longer available, and so we are phasing that down. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline continues to operate a video phone option for deaf and hard of hearing folks. But just to say that, on the larger theme of technology, how amazing it is that technology has sort of ushered in this age of really expanded accessibility, including for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Manya Chylinski:Yes, absolutely. I'm impressed and sometimes surprised when somebody doesn't offer that option because it seems it's not necessarily inexpensive, but it seems like some of these are a little bit easier to accomplish. Well, with all of the good work that you and the team are doing, what is giving you hope these days?
Christian Burgess:Oh, wow, thanks for that question. What's giving me hope? I have such a unique role and privilege to straddle the worlds of both suicide prevention and crisis intervention and disaster preparedness, response and recovery. It's such a unique program and role that I have with the disaster distress helpline for that reason, because there aren't many other roles out there that combine those. Yes, because in the disaster world it's mostly focused on preparedness, response, recovery, more rebuilding, and in the suicide prevention world it's more focused on general mental health.
Christian Burgess:So I get to bridge those worlds and a lot of times when I say what I do at a cocktail party, you know you get to that part where people ask what do you do for a living? And I say I work in disaster and suicide prevention and there's that look. You know you get that look of wow, I can't believe you do. How do you sleep at night? But really, I always say that we're seeing people at their bravest and at their strongest through both of these ends, whether for the disaster distress helpline, both in crisis and experiencing a disaster event. They're reaching out to us because they want to recover, they want to move forward on that path and that takes a lot of strength and courage, and so it's really just the power of that intervention that gives me hope in the human experience and basically our impulse to survive.
Manya Chylinski:Wow, what special work you and the team do, Christian. Thank you for that. And before we say goodbye, can you please just repeat how can folks access the helpline if they want to learn more of that side of things?
Christian Burgess:Sure. So people can access the Disaster Distress Helpline by calling or texting 1-800-985-5990. And this is a 24-7, 365 resource that's always available. We don't stand up when a disaster happens and we don't phase down after a disaster. We're always available. Folks can learn more about the Disaster Distress Helpline and our resources, and also information about disaster distress reactions, et cetera, by going to SAMHSA. gov/DDH. People can also learn more about Vibrant Emotional Health and the programs that we operate in New York City and across the country through services, advocacy and education by going to vibrant. org. And so in order to reach me, typically, I would encourage folks to just go through the organizations of either Vibrant or the Disaster Distress Helpline. If anyone has any questions about the Disaster Distress Helpline, we do have a general email that folks can use, which is ddh at vibrantorg, so that's how you can reach us.
Manya Chylinski:Excellent. I think we've given everybody lots of ways to learn about recovering after a crisis and lots of ways to reach out to you, Christian. Thank you so much. This has been such a fabulous conversation. I appreciate you sharing.
Christian Burgess:You're welcome.
Manya Chylinski:Thank you everybody for listening and we will talk to you soon.
Christian Burgess:Thanks again, Manya.
Manya Chylinski:Thank you for listening. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I did. So if you'd like to learn more about me, manya Chylinski, I work with organizations to help understand how to create environments where people can thrive after difficult life experiences, and I do this through talks and consulting. I'm a survivor of mass violence and I use my experience to help leaders learn about resiliency, compassion and trauma-sensitive leadership to build strategies to enable teams to thrive and be engaged amidst difficulty and turmoil. If this is something you want to learn more about, visit my website, www. manya. chylinskicom, or email me at manya at manyachylinski, or stop by my social media on LinkedIn and Twitter. Thanks so much.
