Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PRSD) can happen to anyone who has experienced a disaster, be they soldiers returning from the war in Iraq or victims of a natural disaster.
For the fifth consecutive year, area mental health professionals will gather July 12-13 to look at the psychological aspects of dealing with disasters. About 200 people are expected to attend the Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health Conference at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St., in downtown Omaha.
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This year’s conference will offer a full day of workshops, with the second day devoted to advanced training in cognitive behavioral therapy, said Robin Zagurski, a social worker in psychiatry and one of the conference planners.
Registration remains open for the first day of workshops, but it has been closed for the advanced training, which is limited to 75 licensed mental health clinicians.
Laura Gibson, Ph.D., clinical and research assistant professor, University of Vermont, will lead the clinical workshop. A consultant for the National Center for PTSD, Dr. Gibson was co-chair in 2003 of a National Institutes of Health group that created best practice guidelines for mental health interventions subsequent to mass violence and disasters. She developed a treatment manual for prolonged post-disaster distress, and trained and consulted with therapists on the implementation of the manual subsequent to both hurricanes and the 9/11 attacks.
In her workshop, Dr. Gibson, who was a featured speaker at last year’s conference, will describe which client groups could potentially benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy for post-disaster distress. She also will list the five steps of cognitive restructuring and explain conditions under which the therapist and client would implement an action plan.
“This workshop is timely,” Zagurski said. “With soldiers returning from the war and more violence in the schools, we found that advanced training was needed for behavioral health professionals.
“This training will help us treat people with PTSD more effectively and keep them from developing further problems. We also hope to be able to utilize these skills to promote resiliency with other survivors of disasters.”
Scot Adams, Ph.D., director of Nebraska’s health and human services, behavioral health division, will deliver the welcoming remarks at the conference, which will feature presentations by six leading experts in the field of disaster behavioral response.
General session workshops will focus on the need for broader training in behavioral health, ways to continue operating during a pandemic, school violence issues and the importance of staff self-care.
Zagurski said about 15 percent of the people who are exposed to disasters have a chance of developing mental health problems. “The majority of people who are exposed to a disaster will do fine, our job is to promote resiliency and provide support to those who may be most at risk for developing further problems,” she said.
“Just because you’ve been exposed to a disaster doesn’t mean you will be damaged by it, but you will be changed by it,” said Zagurski, who spent two weeks in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, providing mental health assistance to families.
She said disaster mental health programs began in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew struck in Florida. “Now, mental health is becoming an increasingly important part of any disaster management program,” she said. “This is the fifth straight year that Nebraska has hosted this conference. In essence, we have become the national center for this conference. We are truly making a niche for our state.”
Zagurski said the conference is an example of how state agencies in Nebraska work together with the academic and private sectors to educate people on developing areas of public concern, such as bioterrorism.
Shawn Cahill, Ph.D., assistant professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, will deliver the keynote address, “Evidence-Based Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Preparing for the Aftermath of Disaster.”
Other speakers at the conference and their topics will include:
- Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, “Understanding and Responding to the Needs of Children After Disaster/Trauma.”
- Margaret Samuels, deputy/managing director, center for child and family health, department of psychiatry, Duke University, “Staff Self-Care.”
- Keith Hansen, pandemic influenza outreach coordinator, UNMC’s Center for Biopreparedness Education, “Chicken COOP: How Do You Continue Operations During a Pandemic?”
- John Sheehan, director, Douglas County Mental Health Center, and Debbie Sheehan, director, formation and education in sexuality, Archdiocese of Omaha, “The Nuclear Milieu: An Experiential Look.”
The conference continues to offer national continuing education credits. This means that continuing education credits can be given to anyone who attends, even if they live outside Nebraska. Cost to attend the first day of the conference is $50. For more information, contact Cynthia Woollam, (402) 472-5678.