Australian Red Cross psychosocial approach to disaster preparedness

Emergency and disaster preparedness is often centred on preparing the physical environment. Moving the emphasis from the physical to the personal, people can be physically and mentally better prepared to face and recover from these events. This paper examines the approach by Australian Red Cross to improve psychosocial preparedness. It outlines how theories of psychosocial support, adaptive capacity and behaviour change are operationalised as well as the evaluation methods used to assess effectiveness.