disastermentalhealth.com

My work in the field of disaster mental health began in 1989. An outline of my work profile, educational background, and interests can be viewed here.

Professional Background:
I was an untrained emergency mental health responder in 1989, with a professional background in social work, crisis intervention, and assessing and treating combat-related PTSD. What was suppose to be a "temporary" disaster assignment of two-weeks evolved into a 14-month immersion workng with FEMA, state, county, and many non-government agencies, e.g., the American Red Cross. This initial experience provided an opportunity to witness phases of disaster occuring in individuals and the community. It presented the opportunity to work with acute stress and reactivation of pre-disaster-related trauma, and to do work with elementary school children. From these experiences, I gained both a micro and macro perspective of the field and a commitment to contribute to the development of best practices and the betterment of service delivery.

Responding to numerous types of urban and rural disasters, mass casualtiy events, and working with truly remarkable people, led to more opportunities --serving on national and state committees; reviewing state disaster grants; authoring peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters, and guidebooks; participating on research teams; co-mentoring DHM researchers; and to co-producing a national award winning and other highly-esteemed educational films. Contributing to websites (online training programs) and forth-coming phone apps have followed. Today, I help develop national disaster mental health policy and procedures, best practices and training content and modalities for the United States largest healthcare system.

I began developing and delivering disaster mental health training programs in 1997. The training programs are based on an ever-evolving curriculum integrating social science/disaster mental health-related research, crisis intervention services, and applied public health strategies.

More than 9,000 mental health professionals (social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, nurses, counselors, chaplains, psychiatrists, and marriage and family therapists) who work for hospitals, county disaster mental health teams, non-profits, counseling agencies, and the Department of Defense have attended these training programs.

- Bruce H. Young, LCSW

To meet your organization's specific training needs, eight-to-sixteen hour programs are developed collaboratively.

Training programs utilize:

          -   Educational presentations;
          - Group discussions;
          -   Role play;
              -    Skill building exercises;
            -   Viewing educational videotapes.

Evidence-based and empirically-defensible practice guidelines are taught in an atmosphere designed to build clinical skills and community networking. Participants regularly evaluate the training as among the best they have attended.

Training recipients

Abbot Laboratories

American Camping Association

American Red Cross Greater New York Chapter, NY, NY

American Red Cross Santa Cruz Chapter, Santa Cruz, CA

American Red Cross Western Operations Headquarters, Burlingame, CA

Asian Americans for Community Involvement, San Jose, CA

Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Center, Oakland, CA

Atascadero State Hospital, Atascadero, CA

Bay Area Chapters of American Red Cross Casemanagement Program, San Jose, CA

CA Butte County Mental Health Services

CA Colusa County Mental Health Services

CA Contra Costa County Mental Health Services

CA Department of Corrections, Parole & Community Services Division

CA Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA

CA Orange County Mental Health Services

CA Psychological Association

CA San Benito County Mental Health

CA San Mateo County Mental Health Services

CA Santa Cruz County Mental Health Services

CA Solano County Mental Health Services.

CA Statewide Disaster Assistance Coordinators

CA Ventury County Behavioral Health Services

Carilion Behavioral Health, St Albans Hospital, Radford, VI

Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Department, San Jose Medical
Center, San Jose, CA

Community Advisory Board, St. Catherine's Hospital, Half Moon Bay, CA

Dept. of Behavioral Science for Victim Support, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan

Disaster Mental Health Institute, University of South Dakota, Rapid City, SD

FEMA Central Processing Office

FEMA Government Information Section

FEMA Public Assistance Unit

Health Resources EAP, Boston, MA

Hope Community Services, Inc. Oklahoma City, OK

Iberia Parish School Board, LA

Lakewood Hospital Medical Staff, Morgan City, LA
Louisiana Psychological Association
Lubbock County, Texas Mental Health Services

National Association of Emergency Medical Physicians

National Disaster Medical System

National Disaster Mental Health Consultants

National Research Institute of Police Science, Tokyo, Japan

Nebraska Behavioral Health Conference

Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services

Oklahoma Mental Health & Substance Abuse Counselors

Project Cope, Santa Cruz, CA

Rotary Club of Berwick/Patterson, LA

Rotary Club of Morgan City, LA

Small Business Administration

St. Mary Parish Assistant Superintendent of Schools, LA

St. Mary Parish Community Mental Health, LA

Tarrant County Public Heatlh, Ft Worth, TX

Texas Department of Mental Health & Retardation, Austin, TX

Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA

Turkish Psychiatric Association, Antalya,Turkey

U.S. Public Health Service

Uniformed Services Social Workers

United Airlines Mechanics Union

United States Bureau of Prison Psychologists

United States Coast Guard, Alameda Station

Utah Department of Human Services

Volunteers of America, Morgan City, LA