Treating traumatized children after Hurricane Katrina: Project Fleur-de lis

Area of Science:

• Disaster mental health
• Child psychology
• Public health interventions

Background:

• Hurricane Katrina caused significant trauma symptoms in children.
• Existing mental health services were insufficient for disaster-affected youth.
• Project Fleur-de-Lis (PFDL) was created to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the structure and purpose of PFDL.
• To outline the NIMH-funded research examining evidence-based practices (EBPs) for child PTSD.
• To inform future disaster mental health treatment decisions.

Main Methods:

• PFDL employs a tiered approach with school screening and three levels of EBPs.
• A public health model is used to address diverse student needs.
• NIMH funds research on two EBPs for pediatric PTSD.

Main Results:

• The article presents case descriptions of children treated within the project.
• Preliminary lessons learned from the PFDL initiative are discussed.
• The study highlights the need for tailored mental health services post-disaster.

Conclusions:

• PFDL demonstrates a viable model for disaster mental health services for children.
• Research on EBPs is crucial for optimizing pediatric PTSD treatment after disasters.
• A public health approach is effective in addressing varied needs of affected children.