The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz is holding its 15th annual conference Friday. The theme is “Psychosocial Response to Mass Violence,” a topic selected before such recent tragedies as the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with two of the presenters.
Christie Rodgers responded to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, when a gunman opened fire at a country music festival in Las Vegas in October. Rodgers runs the Disaster Mental Health program at the national level for the American Red Cross. She is responsible for ensuring there is a workforce ready to respond to incidents like mass shootings. Rodgers will speak during the conference about her experience in Las Vegas. She says the size and breadth of the population was a challenge.
Psychotherapist Dr. Craig Haen is leading a workshop.
