Piracy Trauma Study
Piracy Study
In conjunction with the Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (DPO) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the Seamen's Church Institute has developed a multi-year project exploring the clinical assessment and treatment of piracy attack survivors. SCI’s study of the impact of piracy on seafarers and their families is the first of its kind in the maritime industry.
SCI’s program seeks to identify unique stressors of piracy hostage situations, along with immediate and ongoing medical evaluation strategies for crewmembers and their families. Study outcomes include plans for clinically assessing seafarers after piracy incidents, assisting families during prolonged piracy episodes, and triaging short- and long-term mental health treatment.
Preliminary Guidelines
Latest Version Published Below: May 26, 2010 (ver. 1.3)
The following guidelines are meant to provide a general structure for the care of seafarers following an incident of piracy. These guidelines are preliminary to an ongoing study designed to develop more specific recommendations forthcoming in the second half of 2010. What follows is culled from a variety of sources in the professional mental health literature. The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) does not assume any responsibility for the recommendations listed below but welcomes comments from interested parties in our ongoing efforts to develop specific guidelines to address the mental health impact of piracy on seafarers.
Contact
The success of SCI's study depends on information gathered from the maritime industry. Click here to download an information card to share with seafarers and their families. It contains information and contact details for SCI's study. All responses held in the strictest confidence.
To contact SCI's Clinical Researcher, Dr. Michael Stuart Garfinkle,
- telephone: +1 212-349-9090 ext. 240
- email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Skype: drgarfinkle
- or write the Center for Seafarers' Rights at
The Seamen's Church Institute
241 Water Street
New York, NY 10038-2016
USA
For general Piracy Study inquiries, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
LAW & ADVOCACY
SCI operates the world’s only full-time, free legal aid program for merchant mariners. The Center for Seafarers’ Rights works to improve laws and practices that protect mariners and increase the safety and security of the maritime industry.