"Museums have a responsibility to cover social and critical issues that challenge the audiences and communities they serve. Caring for teams delivering such projects can be a challenge and, in the case of the National Museum of American History’s 9/11 project, initially an unknown. To better understand the issue, the team turned to other museums and were introduced to the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York – utilizing their work on the harmful effects of second-hand trauma. Or in the case of museums, trauma-based knowledge work."
"Recently, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation to provide mental health services training to firefighters and to emergency medical services personnel so they can be better equipped to help New Yorkers in crisis. Going beyond giving them the tools to help others, New York State is addressing the mental health needs of first responders themselves, through a partnership between the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and SUNY New Paltz’s Institute for Disaster Mental Health."
Lessons from 20 Years of Disaster Mental Health - APA Division 56, Trauma Psychology on Aug. 16, 2021
“Beyond direct intervention in disaster settings, IDMH seeks to fulfill its mission by hosting an annual conference for mental health professionals, healthcare workers, first responders, emergency managers, teachers, and others. The conference brings together professionals for an interdisciplinary exchange of insights into recent developments in the response field. The need for this cross-disciplinary approach to training and planning, which fosters a coordinated response across the fields of disaster management and mental health, has never been clearer than during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Grocery workers, already reeling from the pandemic, face new trauma from store shootings - Washington Post on May 3, 2021
"Some workers may be scared to return to work or find that violent events in the news can be re-traumatizing, said Amy Nitza, director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health as the State University of New York at New Paltz. At the very least, she and others say, employers should communicate clearly and give workers more say over their day-to-day shifts and schedules."
How to Cope With the Emotional Distress of a Mass Shooting: Even if it Didn't Directly Affect You - Health on Apr. 9, 2021
"Anyone can be traumatized by an event, whether the person was at the scene or not, experts say. In general, though, the bigger the "dose" of the exposure, the greater the risk, Karla Vermeulen, PhD, associate professor of psychology and deputy director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz, tells Health."
Strategies From Other Disasters Can Help Us Through The Rest Of The Pandemic - Wisconsin Public Radio on Apr. 5, 2021
"The coronavirus has created worldwide destruction that’s unlike other disasters people experience. A disaster mental health expert explains what’s different about COVID-19 and how we can use what we know from other times of devastation to get us through the rest of this pandemic."
'Post-traumatic growth' (with Dr. Karla Vermeulen) - Pantsuit Politics Podcast on Mar. 18, 2021
"Dr. Vermeulen teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in disaster, mental health, grief counseling, and developmental psychology. In addition to her teaching and [00:18:00] research, she has coordinated the development and production of training curricula for the New York state department of health and office of mental health, the American Red Cross, the United Nations and other organizations. She is coauthor of Disaster Mental Health Interventions: Core Principles and Practices and co editor of Disaster Mental Health Case Studies: Lessons Learned From Counseling and Chaos. She's currently completing a book on the developmental impact of disasters and other stressors on today's emerging adults."
'An Unusual Situation' provides coping tools for children - Daily Freeman on Feb. 28, 2021
"Young Milo feels helpless, confused, angry and isolated. He is experiencing an unknown event. He's wondering why everything and everybody id so different. While it easily could be about the COVID-19 pandemic, the new children's book, 'An Unusual Situation', is an opened-ended tale that can apply to any dilemma that puts a child and parents in distress."
POLITICO Nightly: Inside the Biden plan to be boring - POLITICO on Jan. 26, 2021
"There’s no real disaster that compares to a pandemic, Vermeulen said. The recovery will last well after the last person gets a shot. People who have been mired in depression or anxiety, lost family or friends, developed substance abuse disorders or new fears like agoraphobia will take even longer to recover. Many disasters are acute with a distinct end phase, but it’s unclear when the pandemic will be over and how we will even know when it ends."
A Step to Ease the Pandemic Mental Health Crisis - Scientific American on Jan. 15, 2021
"Before its (COVID's) arrival, most psychological first aid students at the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz were public safety and health-care workers. But in recent months instructors have taught librarians, who have become frequent confidantes to patrons experiencing extreme stress."
You Can Get Through THis Dark Pandemic Winter, Using Tips From Disaster Psychology - Scientific American on Dec. 21, 2020
"Amy Nitza has spent decades helping people in crisis. The director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz has traveled to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, to Botswana during an HIV crisis and to Haiti to help traumatized children forced into domestic servitude."
Resilience in the Age of Devastating Storms - APA Monitor on Psychology on Nov. 1, 2020
“It was already difficult to know how to help people feel safe when in many parts of the world, the threat of these disasters has become the new normal. Now, we have that chronic threat layered on top of acute anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Karla Vermeulen, PhD, deputy director at the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz)."
Mental Health Monday: Pandemic Fatigue & Election Stress - WJFF 90.5 fm on Oct. 27, 2020
"Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise as 'pandemic fatigue' sets in. Meanwhile, there’s this big election that’s also been going on forever. So, this is a great time for Dr. Amy Nitza, Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz to return for another Mental Health Monday! We cover pandemic fatigue and election anxiety. Plus, Dr. Amy admits to skipping NPR news some mornings, and we totally forgive her for it."
'There to pick up the pieces.' New Paltz institute offers post-disaster mental health help - Times Herald-Record on Oct. 12, 2020
"Houses, stores and offices can be rebuilt after a catastrophe such as an earthquake. Streets repaved. Schools reopened. But how does one stop disaster victims from quaking on the inside or shaking, literally, as they sob? And how can one help others understand what’s happening inside a traumatized person’s head – especially if it’s a child? SUNY New Paltz’s Institute for Disaster Mental Health is more in demand than ever these days..."
IDMH At SUNY New Paltz Director Is On The Ground At CA Wildfires - WAMC Northeast Public Radio on Oct. 6, 2020
"The director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz is in California assisting the American Red Cross with wildfire recovery efforts. According to the Red Cross, wildfires in California have burned more than 4 million acres this year, destroying over 8,400 homes and other structures. Dr. Amy Nitza is in Fresno for a two-week deployment and spoke with WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne about what she’s experiencing."
How getting Covid-19 affected world leaders' pandemic response - Quartz on Oct. 2, 2020
"In the short term, recovering from a communicable disease could make a person feel guilty or angry for their own infection or others', and vulnerable around other people, says Karla Vermeulen, the deputy director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz."
Hudson Valley woman volunteers with Red Cross to help people recover from natural disasters - News 12 Westchester on Oct. 1, 2020
"Dr. Amy Nitza is currently in Fresno, California responding to the creek wildfires. Along with being director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz, she is also a Red Cross volunteer. Nitza has been there in the days following many tragedies by helping people mentally recover. “People need a sense of safety. They need a sense of calm…,” says Dr. Nitza. “They need to get back a sense of control, and they need hope.”
Listen: Mental Health Matters: Dr. Karla Vermeulen on the stress of the pandemic - WJFF 90.5 fm on Sept. 22, 2020
"Many psychologists are calling the anxiety, stress, and sadness of the COVID-19 pandemic a collective grief. Dr. Karla Vermeulen, Deputy Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz explains that grief can come from losing loved ones, but also from losing employment, stability, and security. So, if you’re feeling out of sorts you’re not alone. Dr. Vermeulen also discusses how the ‘endless now’ of this protracted crisis takes a toll, and the importance of accepting grief and forgetting 'closure.'"
At SUNY New Paltz, Students Help Other Students Manage Stress - WAMC Northeast Public Radio on Sept. 12, 2020
"As mental health issues mount during the COVID-19 pandemic, college students are among those facing lots of stress. A new initiative at SUNY New Paltz aims to outfit students with coping skills, with the help of their peers."
UAlbany online forum to focus on school safety in cyberspace - News10 ABC on Aug. 5, 2020
"The free and online series features SUNY experts, plus local primary and high school leaders and industry partners. The pandemic and school violence have both forced institutions to consider how to maintain safe learning environments amid unprecedented crises."
Mental Health Monday: What Children Need - WJFF 90.5 fm on July 21, 2020
"Whether children return to school in the fall or remain at home, disruptions to their routines in a time of crisis can cause stress. Dr. Amy Nitza of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz tells us that children need five things: a calm environment, connectedness, a feeling of hope and—above all—a sense of safety."
Mental Health Monday: Stress Inoculation - WJFF 90.5 fm on July 13, 2020
"We conclude our weeks-long exploration of “Stress Innoculation” with a synopsis of the tips and practices we’ve learned to help reduce both emotional and cognitive stressors. And Doctor Amy Nitza of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz shares this final takeaway: if you try any of these practices and find it helps, keep doing it until it becomes a good habit. (And if it doesn’t work, that’s okay – don’t stress!)"
Mental Health Monday: Personal Resilience - WJFF 90.5 fm on July 7, 2020
"It’s Monday and we have minds that need to be healthful, so…time for Mental Health Monday with Dr. Amy Nitza of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. This week’s topic is Personal Resilience: Staying in the Green Zone. Managing stress relies on a healthy balance between the emotional and rational parts of the brain. Personal Resilience is all about being able to get to a place of physiological, emotional, and mental balance."
Mental Health Monday: Self-Talk & Paying Attention to What You Say to Yourself - WJFF 90.5 fm on June 23, 2020
"You better watch what you say…to yourself. On Mental Health Monday, we continue to work towards Stress Inoculation with Dr. Amy Nitza of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. This week it’s “Self-Talk: Paying Attention to What You Say to Yourself.” Identifying those (mostly negative) automatic thoughts that pop into our heads."
Mental Health Monday: Name It To Tame It! with Dr. Amy Nitza - WJFF 90.5 fm on June 9, 2020
"Don’t drown in an amorphous nebula of dread and anxiety – Name It To Tame It! On this week’s “Mental Health Monday,” Dr. Amy Nitza of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz tells us to get specific about our stressors and by naming them, if not ending them, at least reduce them."
Student-made videos explain Disaster Mental Health concepts for all audiences - SUNY New Paltz News on May 26, 2020
"Students in the spring 2020 graduate-level course “Disaster Counseling and Crisis Intervention” capped their semester by creating a series of brief instructional videos about disaster mental health, as an adaptation and response to the new realities created by the COVID-19 pandemic."
As isolation drags on, people find new ways to cope - Times Herald-Record on May 17, 2020
"As we reach the two-month mark of New York’s COVID-19 shutdown, people are feeling the stress of self-isolation and worry. “Much of why it’s so stressful and anxiety-producing is the uncertainty around it and the unfamiliarity,” said Karla Vermeulen, deputy director of The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz, where she’s also an associate professor of psychology."
Mental Health Monday: Tips on De-Stressing - WJFF 90.5 fm on May 15, 2020
"The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz is very busy advising people on their mental health during the pandemic. Dr. Amy Nitza tells listeners that any self-care effort is better than none and shares some tips on de-stressing."
8 Ways to Get Through the Pandemic With Your Relationship Intact - ShareCare on May 14, 2020
"If you’ve been staying at home with your partner—and possibly your children—during these umpteen weeks of lockdown, it’s likely you’ve experienced strain. “This is a new situation for all of us that creates acute stress, but the stress is also chronic,” says Amy Nitza, PhD, director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz. “What’s different now is that we don’t know the end point.”
Metzger hosts community conversation on mental health - Mid Hudson News on May 13, 2020
"State Senator Jen Metzger (D, Rosendale) continued her series of webinars addressing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic by tackling rising mental health concerns. Speaking on Facebook Live, Metzger was joined by Dr. Amy Nitza and Dr. Karla Vermeulen, director and deputy director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz."
Congressman Antonio Delgado's Interview with Emeritus Professor James Halpern About COVID-19 - The Self Monitor on Apr. 23, 2020
"From Congressman Antonio Delgado: Last week, I hosted a conversation with Dr. James Halpern, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Counseling and Founding Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. We discussed best practices for folks during this difficult time, the importance of establishing a routine, and prioritizing self-care and understanding for one another."
51% #1604: COVID-19 Psychological First Aid; Climate Music Interprets Sea Level Rise - WAMC Northeast Public Radio on Apr. 22, 2020
"The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at the State University of New York at New Paltz has put out a Psychological First Aid & Stress Management toolkit. The strategies are to help faculty, staff, students and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. I spoke with the director of the Institute, Dr. Amy Nitza."
Mental Health Matters - Managing Stress, Anxiety and Emotions During a Pandemic - SUNY Blog on Apr. 21, 2020
"Illness. Job loss. Isolation. In a world fraught with anxiety and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, people are seeking ways to manage their stress. The Institute for Disaster Mental Health (IDMH) at SUNY New Paltz is emerging as a vital resource for support and information during this time. Led by psychologists Amy Nitza and Karla Vermeulen, the IDMH is working to ensure the mental well-being of the campus and community, and beyond"
IDMH Director Discusses Psychological First Aid in COVID-19 Crisis - WAMC Northeast Public Radio on Apr. 7, 2020
"The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz has put out a Psychological First Aid & Stress Management toolkit. The strategies are to help faculty, staff, students and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Amy Nitza is director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health She says the toolkit, which appears as a 60-page PowerPoint presentation, is also in Spanish, with other languages to come."
Tips to Keep a Positive Attitude in the World of Coronavirus - The Weather Channel on Mar. 27, 2020
"Karla Vermeulen from the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz gives some tips for keeping a positive attitude about the coronavirus and social distancing."
SUNY institute offers training to cope with coronavirus stress and disruption - Hudson Valley One on Mar. 25, 2020
"Though it may now feel like a lifetime, it was only six weeks ago that we profiled Dr. Amy Nitza, director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. At the time, the psychotherapist was about to head off to Puerto Rico to “train the trainers” to help local people deal with the emotional stress precipitated by an earthquake, following the previous devastation of Hurricane Maria. Now Dr. Nitza must attend to a disaster that’s hitting right at home: the COVID-19 pandemic."
UNICEF USA and SUNY New Paltz to Train Mental Health Professionals from Puerto Rico's Department of Education in Trauma Management - UNICEF USA on Feb. 26, 2020
"In response to the earthquakes that struck Puerto Rico in January, as well as the effects of Hurricane Maria, UNICEF USA is partnering with SUNY (State University of New York) New Paltz to provide training for psychologists, social workers and professional counselors within Puerto Rico’s Department of Education (DoE) to address trauma from natural disasters in classrooms across the country."
Treating the trauma caused by natural disasters - Hudson Valley One on Feb. 11, 2020
"Officially titled the Empire State Relief and Recovery Effort for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and more colloquially known as New York Stands with Puerto Rico, the state’s recovery assistance program was launched shortly after Hurricane Maria’s landfall in September 2017. Since May 2018, SUNY and CUNY student volunteers have deployed to Puerto Rico on a regular basis to clean, restore and rebuild homes with not-for-profit partners."
Director of the Institute for Disaster Management in the Mental Health Area of SUNY visits the campus to provide training - University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus on Feb. 3, 2020
"A group of mental health experts from the State University of New York (SUNY) recently visited the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico (RRP-UPR) to train 50 people, among whom are teachers and students from the campus , in the field of crisis and trauma management during catastrophic events."
In the wake of Puerto Rico earthquakes, New Paltz faculty provides mental health, trauma training - The Poughkeepsie Journal on Jan. 27, 2020
"In the aftermath of devastating earthquakes that hit Puerto Rico in the past month, which came as the island continues to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane more than two years ago, SUNY New Paltz staff is in Puerto Rico to train others in dealing with trauma."
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