In the past 20 years, there have been over 13.000 natural, technological, and complex disasters, and these events have collectively affected 4.5 billion people, resulted in 1.6 million deaths, and caused $2.4 trillion in damage (EM-DAT, n.d.; cf. CRED, 2016). Over that same period, there have been over 100.000 terrorist incidents (START, 2016). Some of the most devastating disasters in recorded history--such as Hurricane Harvey (2017), the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, the 2008 Sichuan (Wenchuan) earthquake, and Hurricane Katrina (2005)--have occurred in the past decade. Furthermore, in modern history, disasters are not only becoming more common and costly, but they are also becoming more complex, with primary disasters (e.g., the 2011 Japan earthquake/tsunami) often triggering secondary disasters (e.g., the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown; cf. World Nuclear Association, 2017).

Disasters can devastate people's lives, both at a microlevel (e.g., individuals and families) and a macrolevel (e.g., communities and societies). They can cause a heavy psychological and religious/spiritual (R/S) toll on individuals and families (Aten & Boan, 2016), and they can catastrophically cripple the infrastructures of communities and even nations (e.g., the 2010 Haiti earthquake; see O'Grady et al., 2018 [this issue]). With this increase in disasters and the scope and intensity of their impacts, there is a need for more psychologists and counselors to receive training in providing disaster mental health services. Correspondingly, because over 80% of the world's population identifies as R/S (Pew Research Center, 2017), there is a need for training in spiritually oriented disaster psychology (Aten, O'Grady, Milstein, Boan, & Schruba, 2014) as well. In this article, we present a training model for spiritually oriented disaster psychology. This model is particularly designed to help prepare psychologists and counselors to provide competent, culturally responsive, and effective disaster spiritual and emotional care services, thereby helping people address the spiritual and psychological consequences of disasters (see Schruba et al., 2018a [this issue]).

Role of Religious People and Organizations in Disaster Response

Religious people and faith-based organizations have played--and continue to play--an enormous role in disaster relief and recovery efforts. Indeed, disaster survivors often turn to religious communities (e.g., churches), religious leaders (e.g., clergy), and faith-based organizations (e.g., the Salvation Army) for practical, emotional, and religious support in the wake of disaster (Aten & Boan, 2016; Koenig, 2006; Roberts & Ashley, 2017). Sometimes religious communities and leaders are so intricately connected to a disaster-affected community's sociopolitical, economic, and psychological life that they end up playing a central role in disaster response (Aten, Hall, Weaver, Mangis, & Campbell, 2012; Bradfield, Wylie, & Echterling, 1989; Brymer et al., 2006b; Cain & Barthelemy, 2008; Curtis et al., 2017; Mattis & GraymanSimpson, 2013).

The Role of Psychologists and Counselors in Disaster Response

Psychologists and counselors often play a key role in disaster relief and recovery efforts as well. For instance, the American Psychological Association (APA) has a Disaster Resource Network that is comprised of around 2,500 licensed psychologists who have expertise in disaster mental health care (APA, n.d., 2014). Following a disaster, these and other mental health professionals are mobilized to assist in helping disaster-affected individuals, families, and communities. They offer a variety of services, including logistical services (e.g., directing survivors to food and shelter) and mental health services (APA, n.d., 2014).

With appropriate training (e.g., Hathaway, 2013; Vieten et al., 2013, 2016), psychologists and counselors can also provide what is called disaster emotional care (i.e., postdisaster mental health care services; National VOAD, 2015) and disaster spiritual care (i.e., postdisaster spiritual health care services; National VOAD, 2009, 2014; see Schruba et al., 2018a, 2018b [this issue]). However, even as most mental health professionals have not received adequate training for offering competent spiritually integrated psychotherapeutic services to clients (Hathaway, 2013; Vieten et al., 2013, 2016), most mental health professionals also have not received training either in offering competent disaster mental health services (i.e., disaster emotional care) or in offering spiritually integrated forms of such services (i.e., disaster spiritual and emotional care; Bowman & Roysircar, 2011; Yutrzenka & Naifeh, 2008).

Nevertheless, in the U.S., the typical doctoral-level psychology trainee in an APA-accredited program will receive strong training in competencies that will likely transfer well into the context of providing disaster emotional care services. For example, most trainees who graduate from APA-accredited doctoral psychology programs will have developed adequate competencies in foundational skills such as professionalism, reflective practice (e.g., self-assessment and self-care), scientific knowledge and methods (e.g., skills in making decisions based on evidence-based practice), interpersonal and expressive skills, individual and cultural diversity, ethical and legal standards, and interdisciplinary systems (Fouad et al., 2009). Likewise, they will have developed adequate functional competencies in areas such as assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, program evaluation, research, supervision, management/administration, teaching, and advocacy (Fouad et al., 2009).

Wheaton College's Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI)

To prepare psychology and counseling trainees to offer disaster emotional and spiritual care services, what is needed is high-quality graduate-level training that integrates science and practice and is "sequential, cumulative, and graded in complexity, and designed to prepare students for further organized training" (APA, 2013, pp. 6-7). It is this type of training that Wheaton College's Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI; www.wheaton.edu/hdi ) seeks to provide. The purpose of this article is to describe HDI's training model. This model is based on HDI's (a) mission statement, (b) institutional components, (c) training philosophy, (d) training objectives, and (e) training opportunities. In what follows, we describe each of these in turn.

HDI Mission Statement

HDI was founded in 2011 by the first author--Dr. Jamie D. Aten--who serves as its Executive Director. HDI is the first faith-based academic disaster research center in the U.S., and its mission is "to help the [Christian] church prepare and care for a disaster-filled world" ("Humanitarian Disaster Institute," n.d.). Specifically, it seeks to train future psychologists who will help equip the global church and faith-based organizations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. In so doing, HDI seeks to strengthen psychological service delivery to disaster-affected populations, by training and equipping future mental health professionals to provide competent, culturally responsive, and effective disaster spiritual and emotional care services.

HDI Institutional Components

HDI is housed within Wheaton College, a faith-based higher education institution that consists of a liberal arts college and a graduate school. Wheaton College's mission is "[serving] Jesus Christ and [advancing] His Kingdom through excellence in liberal arts and graduate programs that educate the whole person to build the church and benefit society worldwide" ("Wheaton College," n.d.).

Within this institutional context, HDI is a college-wide interdisciplinary research center. Besides its founder and executive director (Dr. Jamie Aten), HDI has two senior fellows, three core faculty fellows, and five faculty affiliates, as well as a managing director and communications specialist. This community of Wheaton College faculty and staff is comprised of people who have expertise in a variety of disciplines, such as psychology, theology, church leadership, intercultural studies, anthropology, and environmental studies. In addition, HDI has numerous contributing scholars--psychologists and counselors who work at other u.s. institutions and collaborate with HDI on research projects ("Humanitarian Disaster Institute," n.d.).

Within Wheaton College, HDI is situated within the Psychology Department. In that department, HDI has had a research team of approximately 20 graduate and undergraduate students each year. Most of these research team members are doctoral psychology trainees in the Wheaton PsyD program, an APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology. Each year, there are some master's students (in Clinical Mental Health Counseling) and undergraduate psychology students on the research team too.

Training Philosophy

HDI is guided by a practitioner-scholar training philosophy, partly because it is housed within the Wheaton College PsyD program, which also is guided by a practitioner-scholar training philosophy. Consequently, HDI's training places a strong emphasis on the intersections of science and practice (e.g., on using science to inform practice and on using practice-relevant/applied questions to drive research). HDI is also distinctly Christian in its training, with a commitment to training mental health professionals to provide competent, culturally responsive, and effective disaster spiritual and emotional care services to people, including Christian integrative services as appropriate and indicated. HDI's training philosophy is inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative in its focus, given how interdisciplinary and collaborative disaster mental health service delivery is (Koenig, 2006; Rodriguez, Donner, & Trainor, 2018). In addition, it is infused with many elements of community psychology theory and practice, such as (a) a focus on community needs, processes, and resources; (b) a recognition of how disaster survivors' responses are embedded within community systems that reciprocally influence each other; and (c) that there is a need for psychologists to engage in advocacy work (e.g., on behalf of disaster-affected individuals, families, and communities) and to address disparities in access and utilization of services. Lastly, HDI's training philosophy is undergirded by a commitment to experiential learning. Stated differently, trainees gain knowledge by taking classes, reading the scholarly literature, and attending supplemental didactic trainings; however, their training and education also includes a heavy emphasis on experiential learning (i.e., learning through doing and experiencing), via several of the training opportunities described below.

Training Objectives

HDI's training objectives focus on developing trainees knowledge, skills, and attitudes in several key areas. For instance, trainees develop their knowledge of (a) how disasters psychologically and spiritually affect individuals, families, and communities; (b) what the most evidence-informed approaches to disaster spiritual and emotional care are (e.g., Psychological First Aid [Brymer et al., 2006a]; see Schruba et al., 2018b [this issue]); and (c) which ethical issues are especially pertinent to engaging in clinical practice or scientific research in a disaster context. Likewise, trainees develop their skills in (a) assessing R/S factors that are relevant to providing disaster spiritual and emotional care services (e.g., R/S beliefs, practices, and support); (b) differentiating adaptive versus maladaptive ways survivors use religion to cope (e.g., positive vs. negative religious coping); (c) delivering competent, culturally responsive, and effective disaster spiritual and emotional care (including spiritually oriented interventions and spiritually integrated forms of evidence-based psychosocial disaster interventions; e.g., Aten, McMinn, & Worthington, 2011; Brymer et al., 2006b); (d) practicing good self-care; and (e) collaborating with religious professionals and organizations to provide disaster spiritual and emotional care (e.g., Aten et al., 2012; Curtis et al., 2017). Lastly, trainees develop important attitudes, such as attitudes of (a) approaching R/S issues with professionalism and scientific mindedness; (b) self-awareness and self-reflectivity when it comes to one's own R/S beliefs, views, and biases and how those may be impacting one's work; and (c) commitment to offering disaster spiritual and emotional care in a culturally respectful, responsive, and humble way (Hathaway, 2013; Hook, Davis, Owen, & DeBlaere, 2017).

Training Opportunities

HDI offers a wide variety of training opportunities for psychology trainees to develop competencies in these and related areas. The main training opportunities HDI offers are: (a) formal coursework, (b) lecture series, (c) seminars and workshops, (d) conferences, (d) fieldwork, (e) student research, and (f) student mentoring. Next, we describe each of these training opportunities in more detail.

Formal Coursework

HDI currently offers formal coursework in two Wheaton College graduate programs in the Psychology Department--the Wheaton PsyD program and the Wheaton Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. These courses are typically offered as electives, and they consistently involve both didactic and experiential learning opportunities. For example, students participate in a large-scale shelter simulation in which they provide Psychological First Aid (Brymer et al, 2006a, 2006b) in a role-playing situation.

Because HDI is so well-integrated within the Psychology Department at Wheaton College, disasters are frequently a topic that gets discussed in other courses, albeit in a less structured and formal way. This type of informal incorporation of disaster-related topics into coursework happens at the undergraduate level and at the graduate level in each of Wheaton's three graduate programs in the department (the PsyD program, Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, and Marriage and Family Therapy program).

Lecture Series

HDI also offers a wide range of lecture series on the Wheaton College campus. These lecture series are available for Wheaton College students, faculty, and staff to attend. Interested members of the local community are welcome to attend as well. Some examples of the lectures HDI has offered recently as a part of this series are (a) panel discussions on disasters and mass traumas and (b) lectures on global relief and development. Moreover, because HDI is housed within a liberal arts college that values interdisciplinary dialogue and programming, HDI often partners with other Wheaton College faculty, departments, and academic centers, co-sponsoring lectures on topics in which disasters intersect with some other area of faith, learning, or practice.

Seminars and Workshops

HDI regularly offers seminars and workshops too. For example, continuing education seminars are offered for mental health professionals interested in further training in addressing disaster-related and humanitarian challenges they see in their work. These continuing education seminars are usually one day long and address such topics as complex trauma, disaster mental health, church preparedness, disaster spiritual and emotional care, and best practices in humanitarian aid work. Such seminars meet the continuing education needs of professionals, and they offer supplemental training opportunities for students, faculty, and interested community members to participate in as well.

In the same way, HDI periodically sponsors multiple-day workshops in which professionals and other interested persons can obtain more extensive training in spiritually oriented disaster psychology. For instance, HDI has led a multiple-day workshop on church-focused disaster preparedness, which was attended mainly by religious and community leaders. The primary aim of this workshop was to equip pastors and church leaders to be able to lead their congregations in developing effective disaster ministries. Workshop participants learned about (a) how churches can make their members and communities more disaster resilient; (b) some of the theology behind church engagement in disasters; (c) a few of the resources, plans, and programs that can help their church become more prepared for disasters and more effective in responding to disasters; and (d) some global models of church-based disaster resilience.

More recently, HDi has offered workshops in the wake of recent devastating disasters. For example, following the 2016 Louisiana flood and Hurricane Harvey (2017), HDI provided workshops for members of the respectively affected communities. These workshops were on the topic of spiritual First Aid, and most attendees were helping professionals (e.g., religious, mental health, and educational professionals).

Conferences

In addition, HDI regularly sponsors or cosponsors conferences. These conferences are designed for a variety of purposes and audiences. For example, HDI's annual Disaster Ministry Conference is a large conference that is aimed at equipping church and lay leaders, disaster researchers, and professionals in emergency management, disaster relief, and humanitarian aid. Participants gain new knowledge, skills, and networks for effectively engaging and responding to disasters and the justice issues that surround them.

HDI has co-sponsored conferences with other faith-based organizations (e.g., the Red Cross) and with government organizations (e.g., the U.S. Department of Homeland Security). Furthermore, HDI has not only sponsored or co-sponsored numerous conferences in the U.S., but HDI has offered some conferences internationally as well (e.g., the solidarity in Disaster Ministry Conference, which was offered in the Philippines and attended by over 250 participants from across southeast Asia).

Fieldwork

HDI provides numerous opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and collaborators to engage in fieldwork following disasters. For example, following the 2016 Louisiana flood, HDI led a team of 19 students and faculty who spent a week in the field, offering the aforementioned workshops on Spiritual First Aid and conducting research with survivors of the disaster. HDI students, staff, and faculty often travel internationally to engage in disaster research and relief efforts as well. Such HDI-sponsored fieldwork has occurred in response to disasters that include the 2011 Japanese earthquake/tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2013 Philippines Typhoon Haiyan. It has also occurred in response to humanitarian aid crises, such as fieldwork of disaster relief and research that HDI has conducted in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

Student Research

HDI believes that research training is an important part of student education. HDI students engage actively in conducting scientific research, writing scholarly manuscripts, presenting at professional conferences, and developing tools and resources that translate scientific findings into lay-accessible resources (e.g., disaster spiritual and emotional care tip sheets). The following are the two ways that students tend to engage in HDI research:

* Dissertation research projects: HDI supports dissertations conducted on the topic of disasters or humanitarian aid. These dissertations often focus on disaster resilience, disaster spiritual and emotional care, spirituality and trauma in a disaster or humanitarian context, or the role of faith-based organizations in fostering individual or community resilience following disasters.

* HDI grants and contracts: HDI is actively engaged in obtaining grants and contracts to fund scientific research on disasters and humanitarian aid. Students are routinely incorporated into these funded projects, sometimes as a part of their dissertation research. These projects create opportunities for students to develop their skills in varied areas (e.g., research, consultation, interdisciplinary work, and program development and evaluation), and students can use these skills to address real-world problems and help people who are suffering.

Student Mentoring

HDI places a high emphasis on student mentoring as well. This mentoring takes place across every training opportunity we have described. Stated differently, mentoring of HDI students occurs formally and informally, in the classroom and in the field, in research-oriented tasks and practice-oriented ones, and in individual and group mentoring formats. The HDI faculty, fellows, and staff are extremely committed to providing high-quality student mentoring, and this mentoring is comprehensive in its scope. That is, student mentoring through HDI is dedicated to students' development professionally, personally, and spiritually. In fact, mentoring is a key aspect of HDI's overall culture, and it is integrated across all HDI activities.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article was to describe HDI's training model. We hope that doing so will encourage other graduate psychology and counseling programs--especially faith-based programs--to explore ways they can expand their training of students in disaster mental health and in the provision of disaster spiritual and emotional care (Aten et al., 2012; Bowman & Roysircar, 2011; Yutrzenka & Naifeh, 2008).

References

American Psychological Association (APA). (n.d.). Disaster resource network. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/practice/programs/drn/index .aspx

American Psychological Association. (2013). Guidelines and principles for accreditation of programs in professional psychology. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/about/policies/guiding-principles.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2014). What psychologists do on disaster relief operations. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/disaster-site.aspx

Aten, J. D., & Boan, D. (2016). Disaster ministry handbook. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Aten, J. D., Hall, P., Weaver, I., Mangis, M., & Campbell, C. (2012). Religion and rural mental health. In K. B. Smalley, J. C. Warren, & J. P. Rainer (Eds.), Rural mental health: Issues, policies, and best practices (pp. 79-96). New York, NY: Springer.

Aten, J. D., McMinn, M. R., & Worthington, E. L., Jr. (2011). Spiritually oriented interventions for counseling and psychotherapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Aten, J. D., O'Grady, K. A., Milstein, G., Boan, D., & Schruba, A. (2014). Spiritually oriented disaster psychology. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 1, 2028. doi:10.1037/scp0000008.

Bowman, S. L., Roysircar, G. (2011). Training and practice in trauma, catastrophes, and disaster counseling. The Counseling Psychologist, 39, 1160-1181.

Bradfield, C., Wylie, M. L., & Echterling, L. G. (1989). After the flood: The response of ministers to a natural disaster. Sociological Analysis, 49, 397-407.

Brymer, M., Jacobs, A., Layne, C., Pynoos, R., Ruzek, J., Steinberg, A., Vernberg, E., & Watson, P. (2006a). Psychological first aid: Field operations guide (2nd ed.). National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for PTSD. Retrieved from http://www.nctsn.org/ sites/default/files/pfa/english/2psyfirstaid_final_no_handouts.pdf

Brymer, M., Jacobs, A., Layne, C., Pynoos, R., Ruzek, J., Steinberg, A., ... Watson, P. (2006b). Psychological first aid: Field operations guide for community religious professionals. National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for PTSD. Retrieved from http://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/assets/p dfs/CRP-PFA_Guide.pdf

Cain, D., & Barthelemy, J. (2008). Tangible and spiritual relief after the storm: The religious community responds to Katrina. Journal of Social Service and Research, 34, 29-42.

Centre of Research on the Epidemiology of Disaster (CRED). (2016). The human cost of weather related disasters. Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved from https://www.unisdr.org/

Curtis, J. B., Aten, J. D., Smith, W., Davis, E. B., Hook, J. N., ... Cuthbert, A. D. (2017). Collaboration between clergy and mental health professionals in disaster contexts: Lessons from the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4, 193-204. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000129

EM-DAT. (n.d.). The Emergency Events Database. Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCL)-CRED, D. Guha-Sapir, Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved from www.emdat.be

Fouad, N. A., Grus, C. L., Hatcher, R. L., Kaslow, N. J., Hutchings, P. S., Madson, M. B., ... Crossman, R. E. (2009). Competency benchmarks: A model for understanding and measuring competence in professional psychology across training levels. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 3(4 Suppl.), S5-S26.

Hathaway, W. (2013). Pathways toward graduate training in the clinical psychology of religion and spirituality: A spiritual competencies model. In K. I. Pargament (Ed.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality. Vol. 2. An applied psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 635-649). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., & DeBlaere, C. (2017). Cultural humility: Engaging diverse identities in therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Humanitarian Disaster Institute. (n.d.). Humanitarian disaster institute. Retrieved from: https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/academiccenters/humanitarian-disaster-institute/

Koenig, H. G. (2006). In the wake of disaster: Religious responses to terrorism and catastrophe. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.

Mattis, J. S., & Grayman-Simpson, N. A. (2013). Faith and the sacred in African American life. In K. I. Pargament (Ed.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality: Vol. 1. Context, theory, and research (pp. 547-564). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

National Consortium for the study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). (2016). Global Terrorism Database [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. (2009). National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster points of consensus for disaster spiritual care. Retrieved from http://www.nvoad.org/wpcontent/uploads/dlm_uploads/2014/04/POC_Dis- asterSpiritualCare.pdf

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. (2014). National VOAD disaster spiritual care guidelines. Retrieved from www.arvoad.org/page13.php

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. (2015). National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster points of consensus for disaster emotional care. Retrieved from https://mhyiy252svc3dxfu11iackq1wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp- content/uploads/2015/06/POC_-DISASTEREMO TIONALCARE-_Final.pdf

O'Grady, K. A., Orton, J. D., Stewart, C., Flythe, W. W., Snyder, N., & Dzuis, J.-P. (2018). Resilience in the wake of disasters: A two-wave qualitative study of survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 37, 43-56.

Pew Research Center. (2017). The changing global religious landscape. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/ 2017/04/05/the-changing-global-religious-landscape/

Roberts, S. B., & Ashley, W. W. C., Sr. (2017). Disaster spiritual care (2nd ed.). Nashville, TN: SkyLight Paths Publishing.

Rodriguez, H., Donner, W., & Trainor, J. E. (Eds.). (2018). Handbook of disaster research (2nd ed.). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Schruba, A. N., Aten, J. D., Davis, E. B., & Shannonhouse, L. R. (2018a). A grounded theory of the practice of disaster spiritual and emotional care: The central role of practical presence. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 37, 57-73.

Schruba, A. N., Davis, E. B., Aten, J. D., Wang, D. C., Entwistle, D. N., & Boan, D. (2018b). Psychological first aid and the role of scientific evidence Christians' provision of disaster spiritual and emotional care. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 37, 74-79. Vieten, C., Scammel, S., Pilato, R., Ammondson, I., Pargament, K. I., & Lukoff, D. (2013). Spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 5, 129-144.

Vieten, C., Scammel, S., Pierce, A., Pilato, R., Ammondson, I., Pargament, K. I., & Lukoff, D. (2016). Competencies for psychologists in the domains of religion and spirituality. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 3, 92-114.

Wheaton College. (n.d.). Wheaton College mission. Retrieved from: https://www.wheaton.edu/aboutwheaton/why-wheaton/mission/

World Nuclear Association. (2017). Fukushima accident. Retrieved from: http://www.world nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/ safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident.aspx

Yutrzenka, B. A., & Naifeh, J. A. (2008). Traumatic stress, disaster psychology, and graduate education: Reflections on the special section and recommendations for professional psychology training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2, 96-102.

Jamie D. Aten

Wheaton College

David Boan

World Evangelical Alliance

Edward B. Davis

Alice N. Schruba

Wheaton College

This publication was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant #44040). The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jamie D. Aten, Humanitarian Disaster Institute, Wheaton College, 501 College Ave, Billy Graham Center, Wheaton, IL; jamie.aten@wheaton.edu

Authors

Jamie D. Aten (Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Indiana State University) is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Associate Professor of Psychology and the Founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College. Dr. Aten's primary professional interests include the psychology of religion/spirituality and disasters, spiritually oriented disaster psychology, and psychology in disaster ministry.

David Boan (Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Biola University) is the Director for Humanitarian Advocacy for the World Evangelical Alliance. He is a graduate of the Rosemead Graduate School at Biola University and an adjunct faculty member at Wheaton College (IL) and Northwest Nazarene University (ID).

Edward B. Davis (Psy.D, Regent University) is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College (IL). His research focuses on the psychology of religion and spirituality, especially relational spirituality, God representations, disasters, and positive psychology.

Alice Schruba (Psy.D, Wheaton College) is a postdoctoral fellow at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. Dr. Schruba's professional interests focus on the integration of psychological science and spiritual care within acute contexts, including hospital and disaster settings.