Emotional and Spiritual Care Academy accepting registrants
Hosting organizations include Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
LOUISVILLE — More than 350 people have signed up for emotional and spiritual care webinars being offered by a cadre of service providers and faith groups, including Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
Starting March 24 and continuing through April 28, the organizations will offer six weeks of live, free online programs about topics such as building resilience and preventing suicide, as part of the 2026 Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Academy.
The programs will be held on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern) and are open to anyone who’s interested.
“Everyone involved in planning, presenting and supporting the Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Academy is excited to be able to present the programs in the six-week series,” said the Rev. Dr. Kathy Riley, PDA Associate for Emotional and Spiritual Care. “We will welcome people from all backgrounds and with a range of experiences in disaster and trauma work, and hope this will be followed by additional offerings in the future.”
Some of the groups lending support to the effort include Lutheran Disaster Response, Church World Service and the Prevention Division of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“We are all surprised and gratified by the number of people who have signed up,” Riley said. “PDA and the other organizations that are presenting in the Academy each offer our programs on a regular basis, but this is the first time we've collaborated on offering these workshops in a coordinated series. It may be that the breadth of offerings and the chance to hear from three different organizations has led to the high number of registrations.”
By registering once, prospective participants will be signed up for all sessions and may attend as many webinars as desired.
Here is the schedule of webinars:
March 24: "Calm in Crisis" (Lutheran Disaster Response)
March 31: "Talk Saves Lives" (suicide prevention) (Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Prevention Division)
April 7: "Responding with Care: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Disaster Response for Diverse Communities" (Lutheran Disaster Response)
April 14: "Risk and Protective Factors" (Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Prevention Division)
April 21: "Tools for Building Resilience" (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance)
April 28: "Emotional and Spiritual Care in Human-Caused Disasters" (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance)
Following each 90-minute webinar session, participants will have the opportunity to take part in a 15-minute guided reflection to cultivate deeper compassion for themselves and others.
For additional details or to register for the academy, go to the Webinar Hub at crisiscareministries.net. You can also reach out to Riley at [email protected] for more information.
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