Government Seeks Feedback on Post-Disaster Therapy Paperwork Overhaul
Published Date: 8/6/2025
Notice
Summary
SAMHSA is updating its data collection toolkit for the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, which helps states, territories, and tribes support disaster survivors with counseling and outreach. This update aims to improve how information is gathered while making it easier and less time-consuming for those involved. If you’re part of these communities or agencies, now’s your chance to share feedback before the changes take effect.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Child PTSD Tool Updated to DSM-5 Standard
If your child or youth is assessed through the CCP, the Child/Youth Assessment and Referral Tool now uses the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 (Reaction Index-5) to match current PTSD criteria. The Child/Youth ART wording was also changed to use terms like "caregiver" and "child or youth" and to record whether the primary respondent was the caregiver or the child/youth.
Estimated Reporting Time and Respondent Counts
SAMHSA estimates 800 respondents (based on 40 crisis counselors per grant and ~20 grants) will complete a total of 227,200 responses annually, for a combined annual burden of 32,784 hours. Comments on the proposed collection are requested by October 6, 2025.
Forms Updated for Demographics and Language
SAMHSA updated CCP data forms to change how age, race, ethnicity, and sex are collected so they match SAMHSA, OMB, and White House guidance. The Group Encounter Log now also asks about the primary language spoken during the encounter and adds a separate referral option for "FEMA-funded programs."
Sensitive Questions Removed and Voluntary Surveys
SAMHSA removed questions about recent immigration and suicidal ideation from the Assessment and Referral Tools and made the Participant Feedback Survey explicitly voluntary with a "prefer not to answer" option. The Participant Feedback Survey sampling occurs biannually at 6 months and 1 year after a disaster.
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