The Rural Disaster Mental Health Summit was amazing. Thank you to everyone who participated! Here are a few photos from the event.
March 26th!
The Rural Disaster Mental Health Summit is a virtual large-scale professional development training. It for Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Psychologists, Community Stakeholders, First Responders, Rural School Personnel and Administrators, and more.
The Objectives of the summit are to improve the ability of professionals to identify and address the early indication of traumatic stress and other symptoms related to disasters. As well as foster collaborative home, school, and rural community resource network.
To sign up go to www.easternahec.net/sign-in
Click on the photos below to view the brochure, and learn more about the event.
Wanda Vollmer
Wanda Vollmer is the Founder and CEO of Peace of Mind Preparedness, who provides education programs on disaster readiness for families and businesses in California. She was previously the Community Engagement Manager at the American Red Cross and is currently serving Captain of the C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team) Team in Carmel, California. Her mission with Peace of Mind Preparedness is to empower families and businesses to be disaster ready and to build a better prepared community.
Mary McKnight
I am the School Counselor and Assistant Administrator at Ocracoke School, a PreK-12 public school on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks. I grew up in East Tennessee getting my undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee and my Masters from East Tennessee State University. At UT, I was on the Lady Vol Rowing team for 2 years and the Lady Vol Soccer team for 1 year. I first started my job at Ocracoke School in 2011, but left in 2012 to be back close to family. In 2014, the school counselor position at Ocracoke became available again and I jumped at the opportunity to be back on the Island. I’ve been there since. Our house is full of two 80 lbs dogs who love the beach, 3 cats who can’t stand each other, a 16 year-old girl with a learner’s permit, and lots of love.
Cirecie A. West-Olatunji, Ph. D.
Cirecie A. West-Olatunji serves as full professor at Xavier University of Louisiana and director of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research. She is also a past president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD). Nationally, Dr. West-Olatunji has initiated several clinical research projects that focus on culture-centered community collaborations designed to address issues rooted in systemic oppression, such as transgenerational trauma and traumatic stress. Cirecie West-Olatunji has conducted commissioned research under the auspices of the: National Science Foundation, ACA Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, federal Witness Assistance Program, Spencer Foundation, American Educational Research Association, and African-American Success Foundation. Her publications include two co-authored books, numerous book chapters, and over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to national presentations, Dr. West-Olatunji has delivered research papers in Eastern and Western Europe, the Pacific Rim, Africa, and the Americas. Additionally, she provided consultation in a PBS initiative to create a children’s television show focusing on diversity through KCET-TV in Los Angeles, CA (“Puzzle Place”). Dr. West-Olatunji has also provided consultation to the Center for American Education in Singapore and to the Buraku Liberation Organization in Japan to enhance their early childhood and counseling initiatives. Cirecie West-Olatunji currently serves as editor-in-chief for the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development (JMCD).
Douglas W. Walker, PhD
Dr. Walker possesses extensive experience in creating, implementing, and evaluating school-based mental health services for youth exposed to man-made and natural disasters. He functions as the Chief Programs Director at Mercy Family Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has practiced as a Clinical Psychologist for the past twenty-four years. This year marks his 23rd year with Mercy Health. Within Mercy, he is a member of the Behavioral Health Specialty Council and Zero Suicide Committee. As a consultant, he works closely with the US State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools, The Council of International Schools, and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children as a member of their multidisciplinary Response Team.
In response to Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Walker created Project Fleur-de-lis, New Orleans’s largest school-based mental health program devoted to students exposed to traumatic events. In addition to Project Fleur-de-lis, he designed, implemented, and managed large-scale mental health responses to both man-made and natural disasters including the Deep-Water Horizon Oil Spill, Joplin EF5 tornado, and the Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfires. In 2016, Dr. Walker joined Fukushima University as a Fulbright Specialist Scholar. During his tenure in Fukushima City, he conducted lectures in disaster mental health, and collaborative research into peer-to-peer support post 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami and level 7 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.