BU Today: Prof. DeVoe Discusses Trauma & Healing for Survivors of LA Wildfires
In an interview with BU Today, Prof. Ellen DeVoe of Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) draws from her extensive expertise as a trauma researcher to explain the psychological impact of the Los Angeles wildfires and what survivors will need to heal.
Excerpt from “Trauma from Los Angeles Fires Will Take a Village to Treat” by Rich Barlow:
How people respond to the loss of their home and possessions in a natural disaster will depend on many things, including their wealth and access to “recovery resources,” whether and how quickly the community rebuilds, direct exposure to what are terrifying experiences of the fires—for example, did they evacuate ahead of time, just in the nick of time? Did they witness and experience the fire up close? Were they able to bring any important things and personal treasures, pets, etc., with them when they evacuated?
Experiencing this kind of catastrophe is distinct from other kinds of individual-level trauma, specifically interpersonal/familial violence, rape, sexual assault, and related trauma, because natural disasters happen to entire communities. With interpersonal trauma and violence, there is often stigma, secrecy, and shame, whereas with a natural disaster/catastrophe, it is a communal trauma, and community responses help people move forward. Nonetheless, grief and loss over the destruction or loss of one’s home, sense of community and place, and severing of community and social networks can have devastating emotional, psychological, and developmental impact.
Ellen DeVoe, PhD is a nationally recognized expert in trauma and families. Her work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more than a decade, DeVoe has directed the Strong Families Strong Forces program, an intervention research project funded by the Department of Defense focused on developing a parenting program to support military parents with very young children throughout cycles of deployment and reintegration.
At BUSSW, DeVoe is a professor, associate dean for academic affairs, and coordinator of the Trauma, Violence & Justice MSW specialization. She founded the Trauma Certificate Program and previously served as the inaugural director of the PhD in Social Work program and associate dean of research.