Abstract Submission

Mental Health Disaster Preparedness Summit

Road to TUFH 2026 – Pre-Summit Learning Opportunities

As part of the journey toward the Summit, participants are encouraged to engage in pre-event learning experiences to build foundational knowledge and maximize impact:

Disaster and Preventive Psychiatry: Protecting Health and Fostering Community Resilience

A free, self-paced online training offered through the American Psychiatric Association

Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters – 9th Annual Training Course
 June 12, 2026
Delivered by Disaster Psychiatry Canada, focusing on practical, clinical, and systems-level approaches to disaster psychiatry

 These pre-events provide a strong foundation, ensuring participants arrive at the Summit ready to engage, contribute, and co-create solutions.

Foundations of Disaster Mental Health: Core Concepts, Systems, and Community Approaches 

Gain a clear, practical introduction to disaster mental health, including key definitions, core principles, and the structure of effective community-based responses. This session will provide a shared foundation for all participants, ensuring a common language and understanding to support collaboration, coordination, and real-world implementation in crisis settings.

The MARCCD Model (Modular Approach to Resilience and Community Care in Disasters): Building Coordinated, Scalable Mental Health Responses

Explore the MARCCD model as a structured, systems-based approach to mental health disaster preparedness and response. This session introduces its core components and demonstrates how it enables coordination across sectors, rapid mobilization, and continuity of care in crisis settings. Through expert discussion, participants will reflect on real-world applications, adaptability across contexts, and how the model can be integrated into existing health and community systems.

https://marccd.info/

From Planning to Practice: The Power of Tabletop Exercises in Mental Health Disaster Preparedness 

Discover how tabletop exercises can strengthen coordination, clarify roles, and enhance real-world readiness in disaster contexts. This session will explore the key benefits of simulation-based planning, who should be involved, and how to design inclusive, effective exercises that bring together health systems, communities, and cross-sector partners.

Low-Tech, High-Impact: Delivering Mental Health Support in Crisis Settings (Iryna Frankova – Ukraine Experience)

Learn how effective mental health interventions can be delivered in the most challenging environments using simple, accessible tools. Drawing on frontline experience from Ukraine, this session highlights practical, adaptable approaches that maintain high quality of care, even in low-resource and rapidly changing crisis settings.

Healing Through Expression: Drama Therapy Workshops for Trauma and Resilience (Michael Reisman)

Explore how drama therapy can be used as a powerful, experiential tool to support mental health in disaster and crisis settings. This session introduces creative, body-based approaches that help individuals process trauma, rebuild connection, and foster resilience—adaptable across cultures, communities, and resource levels.

AI in Mental Health Preparedness: Opportunities, Risks, and Responsible Use

Examine how artificial intelligence is shaping mental health support in disaster contexts—from early detection and triage to decision support and scaling care. This session will explore both the potential and the pitfalls, addressing ethical considerations, bias, data privacy, and the risks of misuse, while highlighting how AI can be applied responsibly to strengthen preparedness and response.

From Access to Excellence: Leveraging Best-in-Class Resources for Mental Health Disaster Preparedness 

Discover what defines high-quality resources in disaster mental health and how to effectively access, apply, and scale them in your context. This session will guide participants through available tools, training pathways, and global resources, while offering practical strategies to build and sustain expertise over time at individual, institutional, and system levels.