Helping Survivors of Natural Disasters: Lessons From Hurricane Florence

In the wake of the recent flood in Texas, our hearts are heavy with sorrow for all who have suffered unimaginable losses. To those grieving the death of children, family members, friends, and neighbors, we extend our deepest condolences. As the full magnitude of this tragedy continues to unfold, we are reminded of the profound challenges ahead.

Extreme weather events are closely tied to a range of adverse mental health outcomes.

Common mental health conditions that arise in the wake of such disasters include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, suicide, and substance abuse disorders (Cianconi et al., 2020).

While emergency mental health workers and first responders provide initial support, the lasting impacts on the mental health of a disaster-stricken community often persist for weeks, months, or even years.

Mental health systems can face severe strain as the demand for services frequently exceeds local capacity, compounding the challenges survivors must overcome.

Bo Dean and Jvanete Skiba of Wilmington, North Carolina, join Michael Sapp, CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute, and Elaine Miller-Karas, host of Resiliency Within, to discuss valuable lessons learned to enhance the well-being of survivors from Hurricane Florence and other disasters.

Their reflections and the interventions they have adopted offer crucial insights for the people of Kerr County, Texas.

As the current administration takes away funding for school-based mental health interventions, now is the time to amplify the good works done by school districts around the country, including Cleveland County Schools in North Carolina.

In this encore episode, Ryan Etheridge will describe how his school district prepared the staff and teachers for helping children during the transition from home to school after COVID-19 school closures.

In a time of deep division, uncertainty, and crisis, Finding Light in the Darkness will explore how we can maintain our well-being, integrity, and hope.

Hosted by Elaine Miller-Karas, an internationally recognized trauma expert and resiliency advocate, she will illuminate practical strategies for navigating today’s complex social and political landscape.

Elaine hopes this episode will provide a beacon of light—insights on staying grounded, fostering compassion, and building resilience in the face of adversity.

Elaine is dedicated to empowering listeners to cultivate inner strength and create ripples of change for themselves, their families and their communities.

Join Resiliency Within as Elaine uncovers pathways to healing, unity, and action—because light can be found even in the darkest times.

*This encore episode was first broadcast February 4, 2025.

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About Elaine

Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, is a social worker, trauma therapist, author, lecturer, consultant, VoiceAmerica  podcast host, Psychology Today blogger, and social entrepreneur.

She has been called an "ambassador of hope" in the fields of trauma therapy and community resiliency.

As a co-founder of the Trauma Resource Institute, Elaine serves as the Director of Innovation.  She has led the development of the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, which have left an indelible global footprint, impacting over 75 countries.

Her book, "Building Resiliency to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Model, Second Edition (2023)," has been recognized by the United Nations and Taylor and Francis.  She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today.

She has presented internationally at Oxford University's Skoll World Forum, the United Nations, Resiliency 2024, Medscape, Psychotherapy Networker, the Global Fund, the Carter Center, and the Centers for Disease Control.

Elaine believes in a world where every person is treated with dignity and our differences are acknowledged and respected.

Resiliency Within’s host, Elaine Miller-Karas, co-founded the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI).  She resigned as Executive Director in 2020 when she welcomed Dr. Michael Sapp as the CEO of TRI.

They will discuss the international organization's past, present, and future. The Trauma Resource Institute (TRI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that cultivates trauma-informed and resiliency-focused individuals and communities worldwide.

TRI is known internationally for its innovative perspectives promoting individual and community well-being.

Two types of training, the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM)® and the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® have been developed by Elaine Miller-Karas. Both models are biologically based and teach wellness skills, cultivating well-being in mind, body, and spirit.

While TRM is oriented toward mental health professionals, CRM focuses on public health and has been taught to professionals and natural leaders of communities. 

TRI has brought its healing modalities to more than 70 countries.  Dr. Sapp and Elaine have traveled to many places worldwide, including China, the Philippines, Germany, Turkey, Northern Ireland, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Nepal.

TRI has built meaningful collaborations with diverse organizations such as the Center for Contemplative Science at Emory University, EdCamp Ukraine, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Fighting Back Santa Maria, and the Christopher Wolf Crusade. 

Dr. Sapp and Elaine will elaborate upon TRI’s values and its mission.

TRI’s mission is:

• To take people from despair to hope through simple skills-based interventions based on cutting-edge research about the brain.
• To expand access to biologically based treatments by training frontline service providers, community leaders, and clinicians to build local capacity in diverse communities nationally and internationally.

TRI’s values include:

• Every individual, child, and adult has a natural-born ability to cultivate well-being and can learn an array of self-help skills.
• When a traumatic event has resulted in symptoms, individuals are entitled to treatment that is gentle, effective, and culturally sensitive.
• Education and intervention about the common reactions to traumatic experiences must be available to diverse populations and cultures.
• Treatment of individuals suffering from traumatic stress reactions must be accessible and affordable to all members of society.

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About Dr. Michael Sapp

Michael Sapp serves as the Executive Director of the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI), where he has been actively involved since 2010, initially as Senior Faculty for both TRM and CRM.

His educational background includes an M.A. in General Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, both earned at The New School in New York, NY. Dr. Sapp is deeply committed to disseminating TRI's innovative healing approaches to a global audience.

In 2016, he assumed the role of Associate Executive Director, and his exceptional leadership skills led to his appointment as CEO in 2020.

A notable aspect of Dr. Sapp's work lies in his keen interest in neuroscientific approaches to trauma healing. This interest culminated in his co-authorship of the chapter "The Nervous System, Memory, and Trauma" in Ms. Miller-Karas' book, Building Resilience to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, first published in 2015 and subsequently in its second edition in 2023.

In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Sapp played a crucial role in establishing a CRM Teacher Training program for Angola in 2023. This program aims to educate 180 Young Adult Social Mobilizers (YASM), impacting up to 6,000 Angolan Youth

 His humanitarian work was further shaped by experiences in Istanbul, Turkey, supporting Syrian refugees and assisting survivors of the "troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was instrumental in launching TRI's training programs in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month because it was first established in 1949 by Mental Health America to raise awareness about mental health and well-being.

The month aims to educate the public, reduce stigma, promote open conversations, and celebrate recovery from mental illness.

At a time when major cutbacks are being made by the current administration, it is essential that we focus on providing mental healthcare for our citizens and continue to support programs providing care to the most vulnerable members of society.

Dr. Michael Sapp will discuss the importance of looking at mental health as a public health emergency with our host, Elaine Miller-Karas, a world-reknown trauma therapist.

The impact of traumatic experiences on individual and community health is widespread. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), “Traumatic events and loss are common in people’s lives.”

There is a need to quickly establish programs that provide timely psychological counseling and intervention to alleviate anxiety and improve general mental health.

Health and community care systems led by a cadre of psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, chaplains, social workers, marriage and family therapists, nurses, peer counselors and physicians have brought the community resiliency model concepts and skills into medical clinics, community mental health and resiliency programs, shelters for the unhoused, and hospitals.

Dr. Sapp will discuss how models like the Community Resiliency need to be scaled to meet the public health emergency of mental health conditions faced by children, teens and adults.

Essential funds are being cut for important programs helping youth.

Where common sense laws are lacking to protect children, violence prevention professionals and credible messengers are working on the frontlines to mediate conflict, interrupt violence, and restore peace.

Jordan R. Murphy, PhD, RN, is a nurse scientist who specializes in behavioral health and trauma and resiliency-informed care.

In this encore episode, Dr. Murphy will share her work in Gun Violence Prevention, supporting professionals and survivors.

Gun violence is a major public health and social justice issue, and yet it is preventable. For the last three years, gun violence was the #1 cause of death for children and adolescents 1-17 years of age, surpassing motor vehicle accidents and cancer.

A greater understanding of the issues involved and the development of innovative programs are critical to the well-being of our Nation. 

During these challenging times as mental health funding is being cut in many parts of the world, hearing again from Chris Underhill in this encore show. 

Chris has been a champion for mental health globally.

Chris Underhill MBE works as a mentor and is a social entrepreneur in the field of quality of life, and mental health in the community.

Elaine Miller-Karas first met Chris in Oxford, England at the Skoll World Forum where she was struck by his depth of understanding of the suffering of individuals with mental health challenges. He also shared an abundance of hope of how to bring innovations to meet the challenges of those who suffer in developing countries. 

Chris Underhill draws on his lived experience as a child and his many years hands-on in the field to discuss resiliency and trauma in very poor communities in developing countries and at home.

During his career, Chris has created several organizations in mental health, wellbeing and resilience, bringing hope to thousands. This has included Thrive, Action on Disability and Development, Basic Needs, Cities Rise and the Elders Council of Social Entrepreneurs.

“Hope” is his topic on this episode of Resiliency Within. There is an important inspiring parallel between Chris’ early struggles as a child, his own growth, and the growth of his mission in the support of many traumatized people around the world.

Chris Underhill will share his humble journey and his wisdom with our listeners.

During these challenging times, it is imperative to raise up the true history of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

In this encore show, Reena Evers-Everette, their committed and passionate daughter, shares how  the vision of her father and mother continues through the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute in Jackson, Mississippi.

She shares her personal experience of suffering and resiliency.

She details living the institute's mission: cultivating positive social change and intergenerational civic engagement through research on social equity and justice worldwide.

We must not forget that the greatness of America has been shaped by the immigrants who have come for that hopeful opportunity of a better future.

People have immigrated to the United States from many places around the globe. They have often escaped the horrors of war and oppression to come to a country hoping for a future where their families could thrive in a Democratic Republic.  

The host of Resiliency Within will share aspects of her first-generation view with her colleague, Martha Parra, LCSW, who came to the United States as a child with her family.  The identities of Latinas and Latinos are shaped by geography, heritage, race, and gender. Latinas and Latinos embrace their heritage and contribute to the culture of the United States.

Martha’s family came to California from Mexico, and Elaine’s mother and grandmother came from El Salvador. They will share how their families taught them compassion, courage, strength, service, and hard work. They will share the values they learned from their families and how their rich heritage has inspired their personal and professional journeys as community leaders.

Elaine and Martha will also share their families’ challenges as they immigrate to a new country. Martha will discuss traditional healing practices learned from her father and how he inspired her work as a social worker.

They also share the challenges of racism and colonialism that immigrants face. Martha will share two programs initiated by the Reagan administration that gave her and her family a pathway to legal residency.

The Community Resiliency Model and the Trauma Resiliency Model and how they have been accessible to the Latino community.

Martha pioneered the first Community Resiliency Model Teacher Training in Spanish in the pilot study through California’s Mental Health Services Act and the County of San Bernardino.

Martha will share her work as an Immigration Evaluations Evaluator and her work with Asylum, Hardship, the Violence Against Women Act, and victims of human trafficking.

This week on Resiliency Within, host Elaine Miller-Karas welcomes Jesse Kohler for a timely conversation on the evolving landscape of trauma-informed care. Drawing from his policy experience in Washington, D.C., Jesse offers insights into the evolving political climate and its impact on trauma-informed practices. Together, they will discuss how community mental health leaders can thoughtfully respond to stakeholders who express concerns or objections to trauma-informed approaches. The conversation will also delve into the complexities of navigating emerging “red flag” policies introduced by the new administration. Most importantly, Jesse will offer practical guidance for advocates on engaging local legislators, emphasizing the importance of explaining how traumatic experiences shape the lives of children and adults in our communities. _________________________________

About Our Guest

Jesse Kohler is the founder and president of The Change Campaign, which in this role he also currently serves as the Executive Director on loan to the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice.

His career began in Philadelphia nonprofits with direct service work, but shifted toward systems transformation work around the onset of the pandemic.

He now lives and works primarily in DC with the love of his life, but is also in the process of receiving his Master's in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, which takes him back to his family in Philly for monthly visits when he has in person classes.

In college, Jesse established a personal mission to create a sustainable planet and better future for all, which is now the mission of The Change Campaign.