Mental Health Academy
2020
The gold standard program in Disaster Mental Health Counseling. This digitally badged credential course is led by international expert Prof. Cirecie West-Olatunji, Ph.D. (Director of the XULA Center for Traumatic Stress Research). It’s a 31-hour deep-dive program that will teach you best-practice strategies, clinical skills and cultural insights to effectively serve in disaster-affected areas – anywhere in the world.
Module 1: Introduction to Disaster Mental Health Counseling
This module provides an overview of the key terms and concepts associated with disaster mental health counseling.
Special attention is paid to working with culturally diverse individuals and other vulnerable client populations. Topics include the goals
and mission of culture-centered disaster mental health counseling (C-DMHC) as well as the types of clients typically served in C-DMHC work. A review of the limitations of current DMHC approaches is provided and a rationale for C-DMHC is discussed.
Module 2: Preparing to Serve (Pre-impact)
This module presents an overview of how mental health professionals prepare for deployment prior to entering a disaster-affected area.
Special attention is given to working with culturally diverse individuals and other vulnerable client populations. Topics include increasing awareness of counselor bias, understanding environmental stressors and strengths, and historical trauma and traumatic stress. A review of the limitations of current DMHC approaches is provided and a rationale for C-DMHC is discussed.
Module 3: Working with Disaster- affected Clients
This module provides an overview of the on-the- ground activities associated with disaster mental health counseling.
Special attention is paid to working with culturally diverse individuals and other vulnerable client populations. Topics include what to do upon arrival at the deployment site as well as how to engage in assessment and triage of disaster-affected clients. A review of the do’s and don’ts
of working in interdisciplinary teams is also provided, along with an explanation of clinical supervision issues during deployment. Finally, Dr West-Olatunji engages a comprehensive discussion of the interventions used with the C-DMHC approach.
Module 4: Moving Toward Recovery (Post-impact)
This final module provides an overview of the key terms and concepts associated with disaster mental health counseling.
Special attention is paid to working with culturally diverse individuals and other vulnerable client populations. Topics include the goals
and mission of culture-centered disaster mental health counseling (C-DMHC), as well as the types of clients typically served in C-DMHC work. A review of the limitations of current DMHC approaches is provided and a rationale for C-DMHC is discussed.
