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 DTAC 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* Mass Casualty: Support and Response.  The goal of this 45-minute webinar is to share information about emotional reactions to mass casualty events.  It also addresses what Medical Reserve Corps team members, Commission Corps Officers, and other first responders may encounter in the field during a crisis event and familiarizes participants with related disaster behavioral health resources, available through SAMHSA.

This webinar supports response efforts and promote responders' individual and peer group resilience by ensuring that viewers are able to:

• Identify common behavioral health reactions to a mass casualty event.
• Detect stress reactions of survivors and responders.
• Assist responders with leadership strategies and team resilience.
• Locate and use resources found on the SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) website, including free downloadable guides, pamphlets, tip sheets, the Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series, The Dialogue, the SAMHSA DTAC Bulletin, pre-recorded webinars/podcasts, and other various disaster behavioral health–related items.

Featured speakers include Heather Oglesby, SAMHSA Project Officer, CDR Jeffrey Coady, Psy.D., SAMHSA Region V Administrator, and CDR Jamie Seligman, SAMHSA Project Officer.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Julie Liu at (240) 276–2424 or Julie.Liu@samhsa.hhs.gov. Feedback is welcome at DTAC@samhsa.hhs.gov.

Helping Children and Youth Cope in the Aftermath of Disasters: Tips for Parents and Other Caregivers, Teachers, Administrators, and School Staff Podcast
The goal of this 50-minute podcast is to help parents, caregivers, teachers, and other schools staff to identify common reactions of children and youth to disaster and trauma, and discover helpful approaches to support immediate and long-term recovery.

Hosted by Julie Liu, M.A., public health advisor, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, presenters include Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., Center for Family Health, Duke University Medical Center and Russell T. Jones, Ph.D., Virginia Tech University. Dr. Gurwitch, a clinical psychologist and Duke University faculty member, is a master trainer in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, focusing on resiliency for families affected by trauma. 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.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Julie Liu at (240) 276–2424 or Julie.Liu@samhsa.hhs.gov. Feedback is welcome at DTAC@samhsa.hhs.gov.

View archived podcasts.

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, need additional information, or want to provide feedback regarding this podcast or suggestions for future podcasts, please contact DTAC@samhsa.hhs.gov.

View archived podcasts.

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.

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 Aired
Social Vulnerability Approach to Disaster Planning This webinar, posted by the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, is aimed at public health planners, emergency managers, and first responders.  According to the website, this webinar "provides an overview of the human, social, and economic factors that make people more vulnerable to the effects of disaster and provides a discussion of the implications."  This webinar is archived at http://www.disastermh.nebraska.edu/education/currenttraining.php.	April 1, 2013
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
Mitigating Disaster Trauma: Lessons from Sandy This webinar is part of the National Council LIVE webinar series hosted by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.  According to the website, this webinar aims to help participants "learn how to assess the need, develop and implement a culturally sensitive response, and prepare [their] workforce to promote hope and healing in the aftermath of a disaster." This webinar has been archived at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/926378562.	November 14, 2012
Crisis Intervention: How to Support People Coping with Loss This webcast, hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, provides teachers and parents and guardians with strategies to help students cope with loss, as well as 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 & Models for Merging Emergency Department and Disaster Preparedness Efforts Nationwide This webcast posted by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau within the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ 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 episode 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
Emergency Preparedness Concerns for Older Adults This podcast was created by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  According to the website from which it can be accessed, "This podcast discusses the special concerns many older adults face during a disaster.  It is primarily targeted to public health and aging services professionals."  The podcast has been archived at http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=10778.	January 26, 2009
Promoting Mental Health in the Wake of Disaster This podcast is part of a series sponsored by the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.  In this episode, presenter Kathryn Kendall provides an overview of the stages of disaster and supportive mental health responses to trauma at the individual and community levels.  This 40-minute podcast has been archived at http://www.socialwork.buffalo.edu/podcast/episode.asp?ep=15.	March 9, 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
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
Disaster Mental Health Counseling In this podcast, doctoral student Kristin Page interviews Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, an associate professor of counselor education and creator of a certificate program 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/mental-health-counseling/uf-products/podcasts.	Date and time unknown

 

[ back to top ]

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:

• Disaster Behavioral Health
• 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."

[ back to top ]

Field Events

Third International Conference on Disaster Management and Human Health: Reducing Risk, Improving Outcomes
http://conference.traumaweb.org
July 9–11, 2013; A Coruña, Spain

This conference is organized by the Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT) and co-sponsored by WIT Transactions on the Built Environment and the International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering. The purpose of this conference is, according to its website, to provide a forum for partners in disaster management and leading academics to exchange information "on current global health risks, and how best to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters in order to reduce human health impacts." The conference will bring together leading academics and disaster management professionals to exchange information about best practices for prevention in disaster management and public health related to both natural and human-caused disasters.

Great Plains Disaster Behavioral Health Conference
http://www.disastermh.nebraska.edu/conferences/Conference2013.php
July 12, 2013; Lincoln, Nebraska

This conference is organized by the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center and aimed at behavioral health professionals, public health officials, clergy, emergency managers, first responders, and security professionals. The conference will focus on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery issues, including resiliency, ethical issues, posttraumatic stress disorder, and children's response to disaster.

Fourth International Conference on Traumatized Children
http://conference.traumaweb.org
July 14–15, 2013; Jerusalem, Israel

This conference is organized by the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma in collaboration with the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; The Bernard Van Leer Foundation; The Haruv Institute; and Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco.  The topic of this international conference is "Helping Children Cope with Trauma."  According to the website, this conference will bring together diverse experts "to disseminate evidence based and best practices on the care and mental health of young children" growing up under adverse circumstances, including war and terrorism.

American Psychological Association Annual Convention
http://www.apa.org/convention
July 31–August 4, 2013; Honolulu, Hawaii

The American Psychological Association Annual Convention will offer half- and full-day workshops on psychological practice, education, science, and research in areas such as ethics, assessment, trauma, geriatrics, and technology in psychology.  Available sessions include disaster and youth—family, school, and community factors; readiness, response, and resilience—the many ways psychologists can help with a disaster; and disaster mental health service in Haiti—vision, practicum, and research.

International Conference on Flood Resilience:  Experiences in Asia
and Europe
http://icfr2013.ex.ac.uk
September 5–7, 2013; Exeter, United Kingdom

Organized by the Centre for Water Systems at the University of Exeter, this conference will provide a forum for discussion of current academic papers and international research findings in the field of flood resilience.  Conference themes include flood impacts on human health, resilient cities, and evaluation of resilience measures and adaptive flood risk management plans.

Social Media for Natural Disaster Response and Recovery
https://ndptc.hawaii.edu/training/course_delivery/398
September 10, 2013; Salem, Virginia

Hosted by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawai’i offers a Federal Emergency Management Agency-certified course in the use of social media for crisis communication.  The course will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to use social media tools to effectively communicate in preparation for and in response to a disaster.  In addition, the course will include information on how to monitor and analyze social media analytics to assess how crisis management efforts are being received.

21st Annual Akron-Urban Minority Alcoholism Drug Abuse Outreach Program, Inc. Conference
http://www.akronumadaop.com/conference.htm
October 9–11, 2013; Richfield, Ohio

The theme for the conference this year is "Strengthen Families through Family-Centered Practices."  The conference will provide a forum for allied professionals to discuss current research and best practices for alcohol and other drug prevention and treatment services.  Workshop sessions include "Prevention and Response to Mass Trauma and Disaster:  How Trauma-Informed Organizations Mitigate Harm and Promote Health" and "A Prepared Community:  Recipe for Disaster Preparedness and Response."

American Public Health Association (APHA) 141st Annual Meeting and Exposition
http://www.apha.org/meetings/AnnualMeeting
November 2–6, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts

The theme for this annual conference is "Think Global, Act Local: Best Practices Around the World."  According to the website, the 2013 APHA Annual Meeting "offers professionals and practitioners the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and exchange information on best practices, latest research and new trends in public health."

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies 29th Annual Meeting
http://www.istss.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home1
November 7–9, 2013; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This year’s annual conference theme is “Resilience After Trauma:  From Surviving to Thriving.”  This conference aims to inform participants about definitions of resilience as used in the traumatic stress field, innovations in research on individual and population-level risk, and resilience factors and strategies for fostering resilience.

[ back to top ]

Last updated 6/25/2013