Skip to main content
11th WCCBT Congress Main banner
Final Program


Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Recorded Session
Recorded Session
Ticketed Session
Ticketed Session
Symposium

Conflict, Disasters, and Trauma- and Stressor-related Disorders
Symposium

Symposium 6 - Optimizing the Scope and Reach of Disaster Mental Health Supports for Youth: Findings from the Network for Enhancing Wellness in Disaster-affected Youth (NEW DAY)

Thursday, June 25, 2026
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM PDT
Location: Yerba Buena Salon 13, B3 Level
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Disaster Response , Children, Dissemination
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Furr, J.M., Comer, J.S., Edmunds, J.M., & Kendall, P.C. (2010). Disasters and youth: A meta-analytic examination of posttraumatic stress. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(6), 765-780.,   Gilbert, R., Abel, M.R., Vernberg, E.M. et al. (2021). The use of Psychological First Aid in children exposed to mass trauma. Current Psychiatry Reports, 23, 53.,   Gurwitch, R.H., Messer, E.P., Masse, J., Olafson, E., Boat, B.W., & Putnam, F.W. (2016). Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE): An evidence-informed program for children with a history of trauma and other behavioral challenges. Child Abuse & Neglect, 53, 138-145.,   ,  

Disasters are on the rise and carry a heavy and sustained mental health toll. Youth are among the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, most professionals receive minimal training in evidence-based supports for disaster-affected youth. Further, the supply of local mental health professionals following disasters is often insufficient, highlighting the need to train workforces beyond just traditional mental health workers. Research shows training in trauma-informed supports for disaster-affected youth increases provider knowledge and skill, promotes use of supported practices, mitigates youth maladjustment, and improves statewide preparedness.

The SAMHSA-funded Network for Enhancing Wellness in Disaster-Affected Youth (NEW DAY) brings together a national consortium of leading experts in disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, and children's mental health to collaborate with disaster-hit regions and stakeholders to expand the scope and reach of evidence-based, trauma-informed, cognitive-behavioral interventions for youth exposed to disasters, mass violence, and public health crises. This symposium presents empirical findings and insights from NEW DAY’s extensive work providing trainings in disaster-mental health to >6,000 youth-serving professionals in the aftermath of mass traumas. Presentations include an overview of NEW DAY, as well as (i) breaking findings comparing the impacts of disaster mental health trainings for mental health providers (e.g., psychologists, counselors) vs non-mental-health professionals in the lives of youth (e.g., teachers, nurses, coaches, clergy); (ii) a presentation on Respond with CARE, a trauma-informed skillset grounded in supported parenting interventions for improving post-disaster adult-child relationships; and (iii) outcomes from a recent study developing and testing the new Readiness to Respond tool that assesses barriers that can affect a trained individual’s suitability, preparedness, and feasibility for serving in a disaster mental health responder role. Concluding comments from the US Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)’s Dr. Daniel Dodgen will consider these findings in the context of optimizing federal and local responses to public health emergencies for youth and families.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe evidence-based disaster mental health supports for youth.
  • Describe public health benefits of training non-mental-health professionals in children’s lives in disaster mental health supports.
  • Identify Respond with CARE’s core components.
  • Explain how the Readiness to Respond tool can inform post-disaster mental health responder preparedness and suitability.

Presentations:

  • 9:35 AM - 10:03 AM PDT
    (SYM 6) All Hands on Deck: Expanding the Workforce to Include Non-mental Health Professionals to Support Post-disaster Youth Mental Health

    Speaker: Clara Godoy-Henderson, M.S., Other (she/her/hers) – Boston University

    Co-Author: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University

    Co-Author: Jennifer Cortina, MHSI (she/her/hers) – Florida International University

    Co-Author: Jennifer Greif Green, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

  • 10:03 AM - 10:31 AM PDT
    (SYM 6) Respond with CARE (Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement): Trauma-informed Relationship Skills for Reducing Youth Distress in the Aftermath of Disaster

    Speaker: Robin H. Gurwitch, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – RHG International Training and Consulting, PLLC

    Co-Author: Jami M. Furr, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Florida International University

  • 10:31 AM - 11:00 AM PDT
    (SYM 6) Piloting a Decision-making Tool to Assess Post-disaster Readiness to Respond Among Youth-serving Professionals

    Speaker: Jennifer Greif Green, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

    Co-Author: Emily Barnes, B.A. – Boston University

    Co-Author: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University