Charles Figley

Dr. Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair and Professor of Disaster Mental Health and Professor of Social Work

  • New Orleans LA UNITED STATES
  • Social Work
Figley@Tulane.edu

Charles Figley is an internationally-known trauma expert, social work professor and head of the Tulane Trauma Institute.

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Spotlight

2 min

What other storms can teach us about looming mental health impacts of Hurricane Ian

As residents of southwest Florida begin the arduous process of rebuilding their lives in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Tulane University experts who have studied long-term impacts of storms in New Orleans have one piece of advice: don’t ignore your mental health. Survivors are likely to experience an array of emotions, from depression to anger, and it is important that they tap into resources that can help them deal with their grief. While professional help may be necessary, experts say, they shouldn’t discount the help that come from supportive friends and family. “The recovery period begins a rollercoaster ride of ordeals, leaving a trail of memories for our brain to process,” said Charles Figley, director of the Tulane Traumatology Institute. “It could become too overwhelming for some people, and the critical thing is to be with those who know and love you when trauma happens.” Figley, an award-winning trauma psychologist and traumatologist, is the Dr. Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair and a professor of disaster mental health and social work. He founded the Traumatology Institute in 1996 at Florida State University as a result of the Oklahoma City bombing the year before. He brought the institute to the Tulane School of Social Work in 2008, three years after Hurricane Katrina. “The process of recovery can take time, and has an ebb and flow to it, so it is very important to be kind to yourself,” said Reggie Ferreira, director of the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, which is also based at the Tulane School of Social Work. Among other things, the academy trains students in how to plan disaster-related crisis and stress management programs that promote resilience.“Most important is to tap into your social support network and get connected with resources available in the community to assist with recovery,” he said. He recommended the Disaster Distress Helpline, a program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The hotline operates 24 hours a day to provide immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. Ferreira has conducted several studies on disaster mental health, including one on the link between disaster and intimate partner violence. He said he has several studies under review on the impact of Hurricane Ida and COVID-19 on intimate partner violence. Ferreira and Figley are available to comment on the mental health challenges facing victims of Hurricane Ian. They can be reached at figley@tulane.edu and rferrei@tulane.edu.

Charles FigleyRegardt Ferreira

3 min

Tulane trauma experts available to discuss mass school killing in Uvalde,Texas

Charles Figley is the Dr. Paul Kurzwek Distinguished Chair and Professor of Disaster Mental Health at the Tulane University School of Social Work and is among several Tulane experts who are available to comment on trauma in the wake of the mass shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.Figley, director of the Tulane Trauma Institute and one of the world's leading authorities on trauma associated with mass killings and natural disasters, said the Uvalde community faces what could be years of recovery. This not only includes the families who lost loved ones but first responders, those who survived the attack, the school community and even the town itself. The children who survived the shooting are especially vulnerable and will likely need intense counseling, he said. "We worry for this group of children and will join efforts to provide them and those helping them with all the technical and emotional support we can," he said.He said even children who live outside of Uvalde are likely to experience trauma, especially if they've been tuned into to the news. "They will imagine it happening to them. They will have second thoughts about the safety of their own schools and they will require adult reassurance and real attention to mood and spirit." Figley said he wasn't surprised to hear about yet another school killing spree but is deeply saddened by it. "This community joins so many others in the U.S. impacted by violence in their schools," he said. "The once sacred protective ring of love around schools seems to be evaporating like some of our lakes and reservoirs."Other Tulane experts available for media interviews are as follows: Leia Saltzman is a professor in the Tulane School of Social Work whose expertise lies in the areas of trauma, community violence and mass disaster. She is interested in community-based research that influences mental health policies and clinical practices with trauma-affected populations in order to promote well-being and build stronger families and more cohesive communities that can withstand the mpact of mass disaster, trauma and violence.Reggie Ferreira is director of the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy at the Tulane School of Social Work. His areas of expertise include disaster resilience and international violence prevention. He serves as the editor of the American Psychological Association Traumatology journal, which focuses on resilience practices among traumatized individuals, families and communities.Tonya Hansel is an associate professor and director of the PhD program at the Tulane School of Social Work. She is an expert in disaster mental health and trauma services. Her experiences in the field have enabled her to measure traumatic experiences and implement systematic recovery initiatives as well as emphasize the importance of individual and community strengths that contribute to recovery. Dr. Sharven Taghavi is trauma surgeon and public health researcher focused on injury prevention and health disparities. Dr. Taghavi’s research has focused on improving knowledge of why firearm injuries occur and identifying risk factors that can be intervened upon to reduce the risk of involvement in gun violence. Joseph Constans is a clinical psychologist whose expertise is in the areas of post-traumatic stress syndrome, gun violence and suicide. In his research, he aims to understand how exposure to trauma may cognitively and behaviorally predispose an individual to violence perpetration.To connect with any of these Tulane experts, contact Barri Bronston at bbronst@tulane.edu or Mike Strecker at mstreck@tulane.edu.

Charles FigleyTonya HanselRegardt FerreiraDr. Sharven Taghavi

Social

Biography

Charles Figley is an internationally-known trauma expert, social work professor and head of the Tulane Trauma Institute. Following Hurricane Katrina, he helped mobilize crisis counselors for hurricane survivors, conducted training sessions for post-Katrina practitioners and lectured across the country on disaster-related trauma.

Since arriving at Tulane in 2008, he has proven to be a transforming presence, helping launch the City, Culture, and Community PhD program, the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy and the certification in Disaster Mental Health and Trauma Studies.

He has traveled around the world to help communities cope with disaster, his most recent trip to Puerto Rico to advise leaders on how to galvanize communities to work toward recovery in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Figley is a highly sought after media source who has spoken on such topics as compassion fatigue, disaster anniversaries and mental trauma following natural disaster, mass shooting and military service.

Areas of Expertise

Crisis Counseling
Compassion fatigue
Disasters and Mental Health
Trauma
Disasters
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Stress and Coping

Education

Penn State University

Ph.D.

Human Development

1974

Penn State University

M.S.

Human Development

1971

University of Hawaii at Manoa

B.S.

Human Development

1970

Media Appearances

College campuses see 'compassion fatigue' in wake of recent mass shootings

Becker's Hospital Review  

2018-11-13

Charles Figley, PhD, psychologist and director of New Orleans-based Tulane University Traumatology Institute, indicated compassion fatigue is a natural response for the body.

"We, of course, think about ourselves being in such a place, in which someone would suddenly burst in and shoot things up," Dr. Figley told NPR. "But if we think about that too much, then it deteriorates our sense of confidence and our sense of trust and our sense of safety."...

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Another Mass Shooting? 'Compassion Fatigue' Is A Natural Reaction

KUNC  

2018-11-09

"We of course think about ourselves being in such a place, in which someone would suddenly burst in and shoot things up," says Figley. "But if we think about that too much, then it deteriorates our sense of confidence and our sense of trust and our sense of safety."...

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Mental Trauma After the Storm

U.S. World and News Report  

2018-09-21

"Trauma psychology has emerged and evolved over the last 20 years, even though the history of trauma psychology goes way, way back, and as a result of this emergence of knowledge about trauma, our approaches, our measures, our assessments, our treatment techniques are excellent," says Charles R. Figley, founder of the Tulane University Traumatology Institute. "If (people are) able to present themselves to ... receive services, they not only find that there's much, much less shame in doing so, but the treatments are shorter and more effective and more lasting."...

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Articles

The compassion fatigue scale: Its use with social workers following urban disaster

Research on Social Work Practice

Richard E Adams, Charles R Figley, Joseph A Boscarino

2007

The present study has two goals: to assess the difference between secondary trauma and job burnout and to examine the utility of secondary trauma in predicting psychological distress.

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The social psychology of compassion

Clinical Social Work Journal

Melissa Radey, Charles R Figley

2007

This article places social work clinicians’ compassion fatigue, burnout, and other negative consequences in a broader context of positive social work. We argue for a paradigm shift towards identifying the factors that lead clinical social workers toward human flourishing in their field. We introduce a model for creating “compassion satisfaction” or feelings of fulfillment with clients, rooted in positive psychology and expanded to incorporate the social work perspective...

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Measuring compassion fatigue

Clinical Social Work Journal

Brian E Bride, Melissa Radey, Charles R Figley

2007

This manuscript provides practitioners a gateway into understanding assessment instruments for compassion fatigue. We first describe and then evaluate the leading assessments of compassion fatigue in terms of their reliability and their validity. Although different instruments have different foci, each described instrument measures at least one component of compassion fatigue...

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