The Mission of any deployment is to transform "victims" into "survivors." Immediate following a traumatic event victims attempt to address five fundamental questions:
- What happened to me (my family, my company, my neighborhood, my city, my country)?
This is characterized by shock, disbelief, disorientation, confusion. - Why did it happen to me (us)?
This is characterized by fear in addition to the above feelings. - Why did I (we) do what I did (we) during and right after this disaster?
This is characterized by guilt and feelings of inadequacy in addition to all the above feelings. - Why have I (we) acted as I have (we have) since the disaster?
This is characterized by confusion about their own sanity, worry that they will never recover, and all the other feelings noted above. - Will I (we) be able to cope if this disaster happens again?
Service Provision: Organized Assistance
Prior to and throughout the deployment, the GCA works with the host or client to clarify the mission of the deployment and specify measurable and attainable goals. Typically the services provided are provided in waves:
Wave I (Days 1-10 following the disaster): Crisis stabilization, contacting local GCA members to establish a chapter for continuity of care
Wave II (Days 5-15): Stress management, social support, orientation of management
Wave III (Days 10-20): All of the above plus training, assessment and referral, and family resource development.
Wave IV (Days 15-40): All of the above reactions plus grief and loss consultation and counseling.
In addition to providing services through the host the GCA works with local providers for the purpose of continuity of care. By Wave IV the local providers outnumber of outside providers.