About the Region V for Kids Disaster Behavioral Health Curriculum Module

The Disaster Behavioral Health Curriculum Module is a ready-to-integrate instructional resource designed to strengthen students’ understanding of disaster behavioral health and trauma-informed care. This module was developed through the Region V for Kids (RV4K) Pediatric Disaster Center of Excellence (PDCOE) an interdisciplinary consortium dedicated to improving pediatric disaster readiness and preparedness across clinical, academic, and community settings.

Disasters, whether natural, human-caused, or biological, have profound and often lasting emotional effects on children and families. Research demonstrates that nearly one in four individuals exposed to disaster experiences clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms within six months, stressing a clear need for providers who can recognize distress early and respond with evidence-informed strategies. By embedding this content into existing psychology, social work, counseling, and medical curricula, we introduce future clinicians to skills to better support communities during times of crisis.

The curriculum introduces students to:

• The foundations of disaster behavioral health and why it matters in practice and training

• Common post-disaster behavioral health presentations in children and adolescents

• A triaged, evidence-informed approach to care including Psychological First Aid (PFA), Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

• Communication strategies that support emotion regulation, stabilization, and resilience-building

The narrated and customizable slide decks, knowledge checks, resources and curriculum map included with this module provide faculty with clear guidance on how to effectively incorporate these topics within a variety of educational settings that are asynchronous or in class.