Article summary:
- Unique ethical challenges – Disasters blur professional boundaries, making ethical decision-making complex and high-stakes for psychologists.
- Increasing exposure – With most Australians affected by disasters, psychologists face rising demand and cumulative stress.
- Wellbeing at risk – Research shows high rates of burnout and distress among psychologists with multiple disaster exposures.
- Dual relationships and consent – Working in close-knit communities heightens risks around boundaries and informed consent.
- Preparedness and collaboration – Psychological services in the disaster context should be well defined and effectively coordinated with local recovery efforts.
- Structured reflection – This APS on-demand activity teaches frameworks to guide ethical reasoning and self-care before, during and after crises.
Psychologists working with communities in the aftermath of disaster often face unique challenges and ethical considerations that are worth preparing for in advance.
When disasters strike, psychologists are often among the first responders – helping communities make sense of chaos, cope with distress and trauma and slowly rebuild communities.
But in these rapidly changing, resource-stretched environments, ethical decision-making can become anything but straightforward.
It’s this complexity that clinical psychologist David Younger MAPS, DRN member and co-facilitator, alongside Shirley Morrissey FAPS, of the APS activity 'Navigating ethical issues during disasters and emergencies' , says psychologists need to be prepared for.
“You’re stepping into a context where the entire community has been affected, where the usual structures... don’t always hold, and where your own wellbeing can be at risk," he says.
Younger’s experience in disaster response work goes back to the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria – an event that played a part in shaping his understanding of ethical practice in disaster contexts. Since then, the scale and frequency of climate-related events have only intensified, from catastrophic bushfires to floods and cyclones.
With the 2023 Climate Council survey finding that 84 per cent of Australians had already experienced some form of disaster exposure from 2019-2023, Young says ethical preparedness is now a professional imperative.
“Disasters are touching every part of Australian life,” he says. “That means more psychologists will either be directly or indirectly affected or called upon to help affected communities.
“In Australia, disasters are no longer once-a-decade events,” he says. “We’re seeing overlapping, compounding disasters."
This increases demand for psychological support but also exposes psychologists themselves to cumulative stress, he says.
Recent research published in the Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction backs this up. It shows a growing proportion of Australian psychologists reporting anxiety, depression and burnout linked to exposure to multiple disasters.
The study found that within a relatively short timeframe, many Australian psychologists had lived through more than one disaster.
Following the prolonged strain of COVID-19, more than half (56.7% of psychologists) were either experiencing or at risk of burnout, rising to 75% among those who had also faced a recent weather-related disaster.
“[This research] is a reminder that we can’t assume we’ll be immune to the emotional toll,” says Younger. “That’s why self-care, supervision and proactive support networks are essential.”
The ethical challenges of disaster work
Psychologists working in disaster recovery operate in communities where personal and professional boundaries can overlap. This is where ethical issues can arise.
“Because disasters affect whole communities, you often end up supporting people you know or crossing paths with clients in public,” says Younger. “That increases the risk of dual or multiple relationships.”
Requests for help may also be more informal, coming from community members who see psychologists as accessible sources of advice.
“Imagine you’re at the local supermarket and someone approaches you for counselling about a personal issue,” says Younger. “It might seem harmless, but it raises questions around consent, context and confidentiality.”
One scenario that participants walk through in the APS training activity explores this very dilemma: a community member asking for psychological advice in a public setting. The ethical question becomes whether responding constitutes providing treatment without consent.
There can be a fine line between being helpful and inadvertently breaching professional standards, says Younger. That’s why it’s so valuable to have a structured decision-making process you can draw on in the moment (see below for example).
Other ethical tensions can stem from the pressure to meet community or organisational expectations.
“People look to psychologists as sources of support and stability,” he says. “But we need to balance those expectations with professional limitations, awareness of our own capacity and clear communication about what we can realistically provide.”
Psychologists must also navigate whether they’re working in a paid or voluntary capacity, as this can shape the scope of their role and expectations of the client, he says. While not an ethical dilemma, another thing to consider is whether or not a psychologist’s professional indemnity insurance will cover any work provided in a disaster context.
Younger notes that the new Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) Code of conduct and Professional Competencies, which come into effect on 1 December 2025, make these considerations even more relevant.
“There’s now an explicit emphasis on proactive wellbeing management, risk minimisation and working effectively within complex systems,” he says. “Psychologists need to be aware of how those principles apply when operating outside traditional settings – particularly in disaster recovery, where resources, time and boundaries are often constrained.”
He adds that the updated Code and Standards reinforce the importance of informed consent and ethical transparency.
APS members can access the Professional Practice Guidelines for Informed Consent.
One of the most important lessons Younger shares is that effective disaster response is collaborative.
When you enter a disaster-affected community, you’re not there to ‘fix’ people, he says.
"We should never assume we're the knowledge experts in a disaster setting," he says. “You're there to work with them in partnership, and to provide psychological first aid during the early aftermath.”
Bhugra, D., & Van Ommeren, M. 2006. Mental health, psychosocial support and the tsunami. International Review of Psychiatry, 18(3), 213–216, shows that around 80 per cent of people affected by disasters recover without requiring formal mental health treatment. For most, basic human needs, such as connection, safety, understanding and validation, are more immediately valuable than clinical interventions.
“The first responders psychologists are usually supporting aren’t clients in the traditional sense,” says Younger.
For example, in the instance of the APS Disaster Response Network, psychologists conduct general wellbeing checks.
In a general disaster situation, Younger warns against the instinct to default to counselling mode.
“It’s natural to want to help, but the most ethical and effective support in the early stages of a disaster is often practical, not clinical. The clinical support is something that comes in later, and it's only ever early on for the people who are acutely unwell."
Ethical competence in disaster settings isn’t just about adhering to codes. It’s also about establishing trust.
"Rural communities can be very private and suspicious of outsiders for a whole variety of reasons. Sometimes that goes back many decades or to previous disasters where there wasn't good support and assistance offered."
Psychologists entering affected communities should approach with humility and deep listening, he says.
“Be attuned, patient and mindful of how information spreads. In small communities, news travels fast, including misunderstandings.”
Preparing before disaster strikes
While many associate disaster psychology with post-event recovery, Younger stresses the importance of preparation.
“Psychological preparedness is just as important as physical preparedness,” he says. “It’s about helping people anticipate the stress of disaster before it happens, so they’re better able to cope.”
The concept of psychological preparedness was pioneered by Shirley Morrissey and her colleagues in Queensland in the early 2000s. It teaches community members to recognise their likely reactions in high-stress situations and rehearse coping strategies ahead of time.
“It’s similar to how airline pilots train in simulators,” says Younger. “When the real emergency occurs, they don’t freeze – they know the sequence of steps to take. Psychological preparedness helps communities do the same.”
In recent years, the field has shifted towards community connection and cohesion as a form of disaster readiness.
“Connected communities recover faster,” says Younger. “They can lead their own recovery efforts rather than being reliant on external agencies. Psychologists have an important role to play in fostering those networks.”
Sign up for the APS on-demand training activity, Navigating ethical issues during disasters and emergencies, which is free for DRN members.
Looking after yourself and being prepared
Given the emotional intensity of disaster work, Younger stresses the importance of reflective practice and supervision.
“As a profession, we’re required to take care of ourselves, but it’s important to stay highly attuned to that responsibility and have strong supports in place. The responsibility shouldn’t fall solely on the individual psychologist – it should be shared through supervision, mentorship or even regular check-ups with a GP.”
Ultimately, Younger hopes the APS activity equips psychologists with the confidence to respond ethically and effectively when disaster strikes because, as he says, psychologists in these environments need to "be prepared to run a marathon rather than a sprint", as the work of helping communities to rebuild after disaster is often prolonged.
“We often talk about disasters, but really the weather event itself should be called a hazard. The disaster is everything that happens afterwards – the long-term impacts that unfold over years for many people in the community. A house not being rebuilt within three years is quite normal, or people may not be able to rebuild at all or afford reinsurance. That ongoing hardship is what truly defines the disaster.”
Joining the APS Disaster Response Network is available to all fully registered psychologists who are APS members and have completed the free ‘Responding to disasters’ training.
Becoming a DRN psychologist provides you with opportunities to engage in meaningful volunteer work by supporting the frontline workers and volunteers who step up to help during disasters, emergencies and collective trauma events. Learn more.