Papers by the top researchers in the disaster mental health field are included in "Proceedings of the 6th Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Conference," an informative new psychology book, edited by George W. Doherty.

In recent years, devastating events, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, tsunami, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have wreaked havoc on millions of lives. The mental health, preparation and education of first responders and their families to events like these was the focus of the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute's 6th annual Disaster Mental Health Conference.

The major papers and presentations from the conference are now available to first responders, therapists, and researchers everywhere in a new book, edited by Institute President George W. Doherty, "Proceedings of the 6th Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Conference" (ISBN 9781932690569, Rocky Mountain DMH Institute Press, 2008).

"The Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the development and application of practice, research and training in disaster mental health, critical stress management, traumatology and emergency response interventions and the promotion of community awareness, resilience and recovery," Doherty says.

Researchers from both the United States and United Kingdom presented at the November 2006 conference, the theme of which was, "Taking Charge in Troubled Times: Response, Resilience, Recovery and Follow-up." Topics presented on at the conference and in the book include: traumatic stress in the workplace, planning disaster responses, ethics in providing disaster mental health services, cultural issues in disaster responses and trauma recovery, special populations and trauma response and demobilization support.

"Proceedings of the 6th Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Conference" is an excellent resource with applicable advice from the very best in the disaster mental health field for first response team members and their families. The 7th annual conference will be held November 6-9, 2008 and the call for presenters is currently open.