Vibrant Emotional Health and Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (DPO) joined forces in 2019 to create the Crisis Emotional Care Team. This merge allows Vibrant to access its 50 year history of mental health service provision with the DPO service model to provide best practices in emotional and mental health support to organizations and individuals recovering from disaster and crisis.
The Crisis Emotional Care Team (CECT) provides just-in-time support and care for those in the acute as well as longer term recovery phases of a natural or human-caused disaster or crisis. Our team fosters community and individual resiliency by training mental health professionals to work collaboratively with those affected- to build capacity self-efficacy and the ability to apply standards of excellence and best practices.
We are a team of volunteer professionals committed to effectively and intentionally alleviating emotional suffering in the wake of disaster or crises.
Program Purpose
Vibrant’s Crisis Emotional Care Team is here to help. We will provide a compassionate presence while delivering crisis intervention and emotional care to empower survivors to navigate, process and work through the distress of a disaster. The CECT will also offer training to local providers in an effort to build their capacity to carry services through the longer term recovery process.
What is a Crisis?
While the definition is fairly broad, these are the types of crises that the CECT is prepared to respond to:
-Natural or human-caused disasters
-Other emergencies that cause major disruption of individual or community functioning
-Community violence
-Death of a staff member or program participant
-Cluster suicides and school suicides
How to Access the CECT
The Vibrant CECT is poised to respond to any request for assistance as we understand that local community members are the lead first responders. We may, at times, initiate a connection to our contacts in every state across the nation as well as those with whom we work with on a daily basis in New York City. Please feel free to inquire about any level of support you may need.
For inquiries, requests or any other information, please contact the Crisis Emotional Care Team Program Coordinator, Raven Blue at rblue@vibrant.org.
If you are a licensed mental health professional and are interested in joining our cadre of volunteers to help people in disaster and crisis situations, please click here.
About the Team
Amy Carol Dominguez, MPA – Program Director, Vibrant Emotional Health
Supervising Committee – the Vibrant Emotional Health Disaster + Crisis Response Committee
Co-Chair: Dr. Sander Koyfman, Immediate Past Board President, Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (Vibrant Board Member)
Co-Chair: Dr. Grant Brenner, Immediate Past Board Vice President, Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (Vibrant Board Member)
Saeed Aminzadeh – Decision Point Health
Christian Burgess – Director, Disaster Distress Helpline, Vibrant Emotional Health
Nathan Graber, MD – St. Peter’s Health Partner Medical Associates
Jason Helgerson – Helgerson Solutions
Dr. Craig Katz, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Education, and System Design and Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Founder of Disaster Psychiatry Outreach
Patricia Lincourt – NYS Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services
David Marcozzi, PhD – University of Maryland
Dr. Mona Masood – Founding Director of the Physicians Support Line
April Naturale, PhD – Assistant Vice President, National Programs, Vibrant Emotional Health
Dr. Linda Paradiso, DNP – New York City College of Technology
Bruce Schwartz, MD – Montefiore Health System (Vibrant Board Member)
Training Subcommittee
Dr. Mark Evces, PhD, ABPP, Founder of WorkHaven LLC Consulting Group
Lisa Furst, Assistant Vice President of the Center on Training and Advocacy at Vibrant Emotional Health
Dr. Craig Katz, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Education, and System Design and Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Founder of Disaster Psychiatry Outreach
Dr. Shamaila Khan, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University
Sallie Lynch, Senior Program Development at Tuesday’s Children
April Naturale, PhD, Assistant Vice President, National Crisis & Wellness Programs at Vibrant Emotional Health
Dr. Linda Paradiso, Doctor of Psychiatric Nursing, Faculty at CUNY, and former Disaster Psychiatry Outreach board member
Dr. Rachelle Ramos, Psychiatrist in New York and former Disaster Psychiatry Outreach board member