Lessons from Disaster

NEW PALTZ — On September 11, 2001, many New Yorkers lost loved ones or were displaced from their homes and places of work. Many of us still are coping with personal loss, stress and trauma. How can professionals and educators best address the mental health and emotional needs of people following the unimaginable and prepare for possible disasters?

This question and others will be addressed at a conference held at SUNY New Paltz on April 11, titled “Lessons from Disaster.” The conference, which will feature front-line disaster mental health experts, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Lecture Center (LC), room 100. This is the first conference on disaster mental health to be held in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

“I have been involved with disaster mental health for many years, but the world has changed,” said James Halpern, Ph. D, the program coordinator and a professor of psychology at SUNY New Paltz. “Disasters that were unthinkable before 9/11 are now in everyone’s imagination. Sadly, young children are all too familiar with the phrase ‘weapons of mass destruction’.”

Dr. Jacobs, Director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute, which is the only one of its kind in the country, will be giving the keynote address. Along with Dr. Jacobs, presenters will be Mary Tramontin, Psy.D.; Police Sergeant Nancy Rosado, CSW.; June Feder, Ph.D.; Michael Cronin, CSW; and Rabbi Stephen Roberts, MBA, BCC. There will also be a question and answer portion led by Dr. Pam Atkins, Associate Dean/Director of the Psychological Counseling Center on campus.

Some of the issues to be presented include: how to assist others in coping with disaster; what special challenges disaster mental health raises for mental health professionals and educators; and what are the special concerns and issues for treating uniformed personnel.

The conference is being sponsored by a grant from the State of NY/UUP Professional Development Committee, and supported by the SUNY New Paltz Foundation and the Office of Academic Affairs, the Graduate School, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the Psychology Department and the Psychological Counseling Center at SUNY New Paltz.

The cost for the conference is $12 per person pre-registered ($6 for SUNY New Paltz faculty, staff and students) and $15 the day of the event. This fee includes lunch and a hot beverage. To register, contact Conference Services at (845) 257-3033 or complete a registration form from the conference Web site at www.newpaltz.edu/psychology.