The Great Plains Disaster Behavioral Health Conference is for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health care providers, public health officials, nurses, clergy, emergency managers, and first responders to learn and recognize how to prepare and respond to the psychological effects of disaster and mass casualties.

The theme for the 2017 conference is “Back to Basics” and will present two training tracks appropriate for both behavioral health professionals and disaster behavioral health volunteers without a license.

One track will be Nebraska’s Psychological First Aid training, recommended for those who have not yet taken this training. The purpose of this training is to equip natural helpers to provide psychological support to survivors of critical events (e.g. disasters, conflicts, accidents, etc.)

The other will be Skills for Psychological Recovery, recommended for those who have had Psychological First Aid training and want to learn additional skills appropriate for the recovery phase of a disaster.

Conference sponsors include the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, BryanHealth, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and the Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System.