Institute for Disaster Mental Health SUNY New Paltz: In the News

As part of his training with the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Services, New Paltz psychology professor James Halpern was asked to consider the possibility of a major airplane disaster in New York City. At the time, in the spring of 2001, the possibility seemed remote.

"None of us who was preparing for the worst could have even conceived of such a catastrophe," said Halpern, a UUP member.

After training, Halpern was sent to help victims of tropical storm Allison in Louisiana. From there, he planned to take a year off from his Red Cross work. That plan changed on Sept. 11. Soon after the two planes struck the Twin Towers in Manhattan, Halpern led a team to Ground Zero. There, his team assisted women looking for their children and helped to evacuate a nursing home. The next day, Halpern began supervising the missing-persons hotline operated by the city of New York.

Recently, Halpern was on hand to support families of victims at the memorial service in New York. "There's still a lot that we're doing in connection to Sept. 11," Halpern said.

This fall, Halpern traveled to western Pennsylvania, which has been suffering from the effects of the recent hurricanes. His work as a disaster mental health counselor ranges from practical assistance, like finding blankets and medicines for victims, to resolving family conflicts.

Halpern has also brought his experiences as a disaster mental health counselor back onto campus. In the spring of 2003, with a grant from UUP, Halpern organized a conference at New Paltz entitled "Lessons from 9/11." He has offered courses in disaster mental health, which will soon become an interdisciplinary minor.

This fall, Halpern launched a new project as director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute. Halpern said that Gerald Benjamin, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, "really encouraged me to take the work that I was doing and integrate it into the programs we offer." The institute will offer academic programs to support the new minor and will sponsor workshops and conferences for members of the community.

"We want the institute to serve the region and the community. My view is that, somehow, the relationship between the community and the university should be a much closer and much more supportive one," Halpern said.

UUPer Phyllis Freeman, the chair of the advisory board for the Disaster Mental Health Institute and a longtime colleague in the psychology department, called Halpern a "major force" in the Red Cross, as well as an "outstanding teacher and researcher."

"In the last few years," she said, "frankly, he's been my hero."

—Alyssa Colton

Credit: United University Profession's The Voice

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