Project CREST: A new model for mental health intervention after a community disaster

When the Mississippi River and its tributaries flooded St. Louis, Mo, in th e spring and summer of 1993, 250 mental health professionals stood ready to help the thousands whose lives the floods would affect. It turned out, how ever, that most of the flood victims sought instead the support of communit y leaders they knew and trusted. To meet the need community-based disaster support, disaster intervention tr aining that had been offered to mental health professionals during the summ er of 1993 was adapted to train community resource personnel, ranging from clergy to police. The result was Project CERST (Community Resources for Edu cation, Support and Training). CREST's purpose is to maximize mental health resources within communities b y community leaders to provide initial crisis intervention and emotional re lief services after community-wide disasters, when professional resources a re often limited, CREST has also been adapted to other types of crisis inte rvention. Through Project CREST, many people have received crisis intervention who ot herwise would not have sought mental health care.