Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

On this page the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) presents information on disaster behavioral health (DBH) online trainings (web-based courses), field events (DBH conferences, including meetings, workshops, and conventions), and webcasts (SAMHSA DTAC and non-SAMHSA DATC media presentations on DBH topics). If you would like to add an event to our Education and Training listing, please contact SAMHSA DTAC.

• Webcasts
• Online Training Sites
• Field Events

Webcasts

*New* Deployment Supports for Disaster Behavioral Health Responders Podcast
The goal of this 30-minute podcast is to prepare disaster behavioral health (DBH) responders and their family members for deployment by reviewing pre- and post-deployment guidelines and ways to prepare oneself and one's family members for the stress of deployment and reintegration into regular work and family life. This podcast aims to accomplish the following:

• Increase awareness of the unique issues DBH responders face, especially with numerous or long-term assignments.
• Provide pre-deployment guidelines to assist DBH responders and their family members as they prepare for deployment.
• Assist with the DBH responder and family members by providing post-deployment guidelines and practices that enable reintegration with family members and routine employment.

The featured speaker is April Naturale, Ph.D., of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC). Dr. Naturale is a traumatic stress specialist with a 25-year history in health/mental health administration. She directed New York's disaster mental health response following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and spent several years in the Gulf Coast after the large-scale hurricanes that devastated the area.

SAMHSA DTAC encourages participation by behavioral health, public health, and other professionals involved in emergency management/disaster response.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Lori McGee at 240-515-8414 or Lori.McGee@icfi.com. Please send feedback regarding this podcast or suggestions for future podcasts or webinars to dtac@samsha.hhs.gov.

View archived podcasts.

*NEW* Cultural Awareness: Children and Youth in Disasters Podcast
The goal of this 60-minute podcast is to assist disaster behavioral health responders in providing culturally aware and appropriate disaster behavioral health services for children, youth, and families impacted by natural and human-caused disasters. The podcast aims to accomplish the following:

• Define cultural awareness
• Demonstrate the importance of cultural awareness in disaster services, particularly with children and youth
• Identify common reactions of children to disaster and trauma
• Present helpful approaches to working with children impacted by a disaster

Featured speakers include April Naturale, Ph.D., of SAMHSA DTAC and Russell T. Jones, Ph.D., of Virginia Tech University. Dr. Naturale is a traumatic stress specialist with a 25-year history in health/mental health administration. Dr. Jones is a Professor of Psychology at Virginia Tech University and a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma psychology in the areas of natural and technological disasters as well as interpersonal violence.

SAMHSA DTAC encourages participation by behavioral health, public health, and other professionals involved in emergency management/disaster response activities who are interested in learning more about working with children and youth following a disaster or need a refresher about the disaster response issues specific to this population. View archived podcasts.

*NEW* Self-Care for Disaster Behavioral Health Responders Podcast
SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) is pleased to present the Self-Care for Disaster Behavioral Health Responders podcast. The goal of this 60-minute podcast is to provide information, best practices, and tools that enable disaster behavioral health (DBH) responders and supervisors to identify and effectively manage stress and secondary traumatic stress through workplace structures and self-care practices. The podcast will do all of the following:

• Define the stressors unique to DBH responders, including secondary traumatic stress
• Present best practices in self-care for DBH responders
• Provide tools that can be used to promote self-care
• Identify supports that can be provided by supervisors and management to assist DBH responders

Featured speakers include April Naturale, Ph.D., of SAMHSA DTAC and Jeannette David, Georgia Disaster Behavioral Health Coordinator.

SAMHSA DTAC encourages participation by behavioral health, public health, and other professionals involved in emergency management/disaster response and interested in learning more about self-care best practices. View archived podcasts.

Promising Practices in Disaster Behavioral Health Planning Webinar Series
From June to August 2011, SAMHSA DTAC held the Promising Practices in Disaster Behavioral Health Planning webinar series that consisted of nine webinars addressing promising practices in integrated mental health and substance abuse DBH planning. These webinars are meant to assist State and Territory disaster behavioral health coordinators, disaster mental health coordinators, and disaster substance abuse coordinators, as well as emergency management/behavioral health coordinators for Tribes, with the development and implementation of their DBH plans. The webinars have been recorded and are currently available for viewing. View archived Promising Practices webinars.

SAMHSA DTAC encourages all States, Territories, and Tribes to view the recorded webinars. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Terri Spear (Emergency Coordinator, SAMHSA/Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation/Division of Policy Innovation) at 240-276-2244 or terri.spear@samhsa.hhs.gov or Dr. Amy Mack (SAMHSA DTAC Project Director) at 240-744-7090 or amy.mack@icfi.com.

Building Awareness of Disaster Behavioral Health Webinar Series
In July and August 2011, SAMHSA DTAC held the Building Awareness of Disaster Behavioral Health webinar series to educate participants about the mental health, substance abuse, and stress management needs of people who have been exposed to human-caused, natural, or technological disasters. The webinars also help to build awareness about preparedness and response efforts in this area. The content of the webinars can be utilized by mental and non-mental health professionals who are involved in emergency management/disaster response and interested in learning more about mental health and substance abuse issues. The webinars featured nationally known mental health and substance abuse experts, as well as representatives from the fields of public health and emergency management. The webinars have been recorded and are currently available for viewing. View archived Building Awareness webinars.

Non-SAMHSA DTAC Webcasts

Topic	Date / Time Aired
Disaster Mental Health Counseling Podcast This podcast includes an interview with a professor and creator of a curriculum in disaster mental health counseling. The interview covers advocacy and social justice issues involved in disaster mental health counseling. It also highlights the need for more cultural competence, and more extensive disaster counseling training, for all counselors. This webcast has been archived at http://education.ufl.edu/disaster-mental-health-counseling/sample-page/dissemination/.	Date and time unknown
Principles of Planning for Disaster Risk Reduction This podcast is part of a conference call series sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Medical Reserve Corps. According to the website, this call discusses "the principles for effective, efficient and orderly processes for disaster planning." This podcast has been archived at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2012/callinfo_091812.asp.	September 18, 2012
Safe Schools: Behavioral Health Recovery After Crisis Situations This webcast presents key concepts in children's reactions to community trauma, a school's role in disaster recovery, and information about the Project Recovery Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program in response to the Wisconsin floods. This webcast has been archived at http://dpimedia.wi.gov/main/Viewer/?peid=b368f12cf18f4cfc9ee2b279d05f17ff.	December 16, 2008
Safe Schools: Crisis Intervention; How to Support People Coping with Loss This webcast provides strategies to help students cope with loss and a debriefing process for parents and teachers to follow with students who are heavily affected by loss. This webcast has been archived at http://dpimedia.wi.gov/main/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=5c21a7b1de814d7cb20c47ae459e8bfd.	March 16, 2010
State of All Hazards Preparedness for Children: Partnerships and Models for Merging Emergency Department and Disaster Preparedness Efforts Nationwide This webcast by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau within the Health Resources and Services Administration features resources and tools for pediatric disaster planning, lessons learned from the H1N1 pandemic, and perspectives from national stakeholders and partners in planning. This webcast has been archived at http://www.mchcom.com/archivedWebcastDetail.asp?id=222.	March 24, 2010
Stress Management for Emergency Responders—What Agencies Can Do This podcast provides information on stress management for individuals, teams, and agencies working in crisis settings. The series identifies ways to reduce stress and its negative effects on individual staff members and the agency as a whole. This webcast has been archived at http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=10615.	January 21, 2009
Understanding and Responding to the Needs of Children After Large-Scale Disasters This webcast provides information about how children may respond to traumatic events, ideas for interventions, and recommendations for disaster preparation. This 90-minute conference presentation has been archived at http://www.adph.org/ALPHTN/index.asp?id=2561.	May 22, 2008

Online Training Sites

Early Responders Distance Learning Center
The Early Responders Distance Learning Center created and administers accredited courses for the emergency response community on preparing for and responding to terrorist incidents. The courses offer a specialized focus on psychological perspectives and issues.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Online Courses
FEMA offers free independent study courses that can be completed for continuing education units. Courses cover topics such as emergency preparedness, developing and managing volunteers, and the Incident Command System.

John Hopkins Public Health Preparedness Programs: Mental Health Preparedness Trainings
The John Hopkins Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center has developed a variety of mental health preparedness trainings that are available online:

• Disaster Mental Health Intervention
• Disaster Mental Health Planning
• Introduction to Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness
• Mental Health Consequences of Disaster
• Psychological First Aid Competencies for Public Health Workers
• Psychology and Crisis Response
• Psychology of Terrorism
• Roots of Terrorism
• Self-Care

Massachusetts Environmental Health Association Disaster Behavioral Health Training
The Massachusetts Environmental Health Association has developed several disaster behavioral health trainings that are available online:

• Psychological First Aid: Helping People Cope During Disasters and Public Health Emergencies
• Psychological First Aid in Radiation Disasters
• Psychological Issues Following Disasters

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online Course
The NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma is an online training center geared toward professionals and families seeking to learn more about child traumatic stress. Many resources specifically focus on disaster-related trauma and grief. The NCTSN Learning Center also features PFA Online, a 6-hour course in which the student plays the role of a provider working in a scene after a disaster. According to the online course description, "this professionally narrated course is for individuals who are new to disaster response and want to learn the core goals of PFA, as well as for seasoned practitioners who want a review. It features innovative activities, video demonstrations, and mentor tips from the nation's trauma experts and survivors. PFA Online also offers a Learning Community where participants can share experiences of using PFA in the field, receive guidance during times of disaster, and obtain additional resources and training."

Office of Minority Health Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response
These four online courses build knowledge and skills for disaster and crisis personnel and volunteers to "provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to diverse communities during all phases of disaster." The curriculum is grouped into three themes: culturally competent care, language access services, and organizational supports.

University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Public Health Preparedness Training Web Site
According to this site, it "offers free short Internet-based trainings developed by the UNC Center for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) on public health preparedness topics such as disease surveillance, basic epidemiology, bioterrorism, and new/emerging disease agents."

Field Events

The International Disaster Conference and Exposition 
http://www.internationaldisasterconference.com 
January 8–10, 2013; New Orleans, Louisiana

The purpose of this conference is to bring together professionals in public and private sectors to discuss disaster recovery, lessons learned from responding to disasters, and best practices. According to the website, disciplines the conference will focus on include resilience, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, business continuity, global threats and crisis management, social media/communications, and economic stability/recovery.

2013 Tri-State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Conference 
https://msvoad.communityos.org/cms/2013%20VOAD%20Home 
January 28–30, 2013; Biloxi, Mississippi

The conference brings together faith-based groups, nonprofits, community foundations, and government agencies to discuss policies and learn new strategies to improve disaster response in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

12th World Congress on Stress, Trauma & Coping 
http://www.icisf.org/world-congress-articles/672-12th-world-congress 
February 19–24, 2013; Baltimore, Maryland

The theme for this annual World Congress is "Navigating the Next Era of Crisis & Disaster Response." The purpose of this conference is to give those who provide crisis and disaster mental health services an opportunity to discuss research on and innovations in crisis intervention, as well as crisis intervention in the following contexts: military, disaster response, emergency services, health care, work with specialty populations, and schools.

Crises and Disasters: Psychosocial Consequences International Congress 
http://psychcongress2013.gr/en 
March 6–9, 2013; Athens, Greece

Planned by the World Federation for Mental Health, the Hellenic Psychiatric Association, and the Society of Preventive Psychiatry, this conference will provide a forum for discussion on the consequences of natural and human-caused disasters, with a focus on economic crises and the impact of crisis on vulnerable populations, including people with mental disorders.

Annual Public Health Preparedness Summit 
http://www.phprep.org 
March 12–15, 2013; Atlanta, Georgia

The theme for the annual Summit is “Strengthening Public Health and Healthcare Preparedness through Innovation, Integration, and Implementation.” The conference sessions will cover topics such as community resilience, administrative preparedness, volunteer management, mass prophylaxis and catastrophic preparedness, biosurveillance, public health law, and crisis standards of care.

Disaster Recovery Journal—Spring World 2013 
http://www.drj.com/events/spring-world-2013/homepage.html 
March 17–20, 2013; Orlando, Florida

The theme for Spring World 2013 is "Charting the Course to True Resiliency." The purpose of this conference is to bring together professionals in public and private sectors to discuss business continuity, including crisis communication, crisis management, risk management, risk assessment, and lessons learned. The conference will also include a special session on lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy.

American Counseling Association 2013 Conference & Expo 
http://www.counseling.org/Convention 
March 20–24, 2013; Cincinnati, Ohio

This conference will provide a forum to present and discuss the latest techniques, theories, research, and best practices in the field. Conference attendees can focus on a specific area of interest by attending sessions within one of the 22 tracks, including individual trauma/disaster mental health; counseling lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people; military counseling; and multicultural and international counseling.

2013 National Hurricane Conference 
http://www.hurricanemeeting.com 
March 25–28, 2013; New Orleans, Louisiana

The conference brings together federal, state, and local officials to discuss and recommend new policies to improve emergency management. The purpose of this conference, according to its website, is to "improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific."

2013 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference 
https://www.cm.wsu.edu/ehome/index.php?eventid=25597& 
April 2–4, 2013; Tacoma, Washington

According to its website, this conference will provide a forum for professionals working in businesses, schools, government, the nonprofit sector, emergency management, and volunteer organizations to present and discuss "business continuity planning, school safety, public health preparedness, homeland security, and public information."

43rd National Council Mental Health and Addictions Conference 
http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/conference2013 
April 8–10, 2013; Las Vegas, Nevada

The purpose of this conference, according to its website, is to "explore healthcare’s greatest innovations in behavioral health practice improvement, financing, integrated healthcare, technology, policy and advocacy, social justice, and professional development." Conference tracks will include Trauma-Informed Care, Children and Youth, and Addictions and Co-Occurring Disorders.

10th Institute for Disaster Mental Health Conference 
http://www.newpaltz.edu/idmh 
April 19, 2013; New Paltz, New York

The theme for this annual conference is "Radiological Readiness: Preparing for Dirty Bombs, Nuclear Disasters, and Other Catastrophes." The purpose of this conference is to provide new information and recommendations related to the probability, effects, and consequences of radiological disasters.

Maryland Emergency Management Association Conference 
http://www.mdema.org/conference.cfm 
May 28–31, 2013; Ocean City, Maryland

This conference will cover topics in social media, the National Disaster Recovery Framework, resiliency, strategic planning, pandemic influenza, disaster mental health, wildfires, and emergency planning.

Australian " New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference 
http://anzdmc.com.au 
May 29–31, 2013; Brisbane, Australia

This conference will cover topics in natural and human-caused hazards and disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. It will include discussion of human and social issues that arise during and after disasters.

Eighth European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference 
http://www.estss-2013conference.eu 
June 6–9, 2013; Bologna, Italy

The theme for this conference is "Trauma and its Clinical Pathways: PTSD and Beyond." The purpose of this conference is to bring together researchers and clinicians to discuss topics including trauma prevention and recovery in emergency services and disasters, innovative practice and therapy models in different cultural contexts, traumatic stress, assessment of children and youth, trauma across the lifespan, the psychopharmacology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and posttraumatic growth.

The College on Problems of Drug Dependence 75th Annual Meeting 
http://www.cpdd.vcu.edu 
June 15–20, 2013; San Diego, California

According to the website, the goal of this meeting is "to present and disseminate information about ongoing research in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences."

Global Health and Well-Being: The Social Work Response 
http://www.nyu.edu/socialwork/continuing.education/socialwork.response.html 
June 17–19, 2013; New York, NY

The purpose of this conference is to define the social work response to address pressing health and psychosocial problems globally. One of the conference themes is "Trauma, Crises, and Response," including natural disaster, war, and violence. The conference will include keynote addresses, roundtable discussions, panels, and breakout workshops.

21st World Congress for Social Psychiatry 
http://www.wasp2013.com 
June 29–July 3, 2013; Lisbon, Portugal

The topic of the conference is "The bio-psycho-social model: The future of psychiatry." The main topics include natural and human-caused disasters, such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and mental health; ways to create alliances to respond to mental health challenges; and comorbid mental and physical illnesses.

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Last updated 12/31/2012