UA Counseling Expert Heading to Myanmar to Assist in Relief Efforts

Akron, Ohio, July 1, 2008 — A University of Akron professor is donating her time and expertise to aid survivors of the deadly cyclone in Myanmar.

Dr. Karin Jordan of Akron, chair of the Department of Counseling in UA's College of Education and an international expert in helping people cope with catastrophic events and human loss, will leave for Myanmar on July 4 to provide disaster mental health training to those working in the field and direct mental health services to those affected by the disaster. Jordan will return to Akron on July 20.

A nurse and licensed marriage and family therapist, Jordan will work in the cities of Bogale and Kyailat. A cyclone tore through central Myanmar on May 3, leaving more than 84,500 dead and 53,800 missing, according to the latest figures from the government.

Jordan is a volunteer with the Medical Teams International group, which assists people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty around the world.

She started working with the group after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when she went to New York City to assist. Since that time, Jordan has assisted in crises such as the September 2004 terrorist attack at a school in Beslan, Russia, and in Sri Lanka after the tsunami in December 2004.

“My personal philosophy is that we all have a responsibility to give back to society,” Jordan says. “My area of expertise is disaster mental health, and we have learned that after disasters the mental health needs can be pretty high, because there is so much loss and destruction experienced by survivors. It is a way to give and help those in need.

“Not many people have had the privilege to see how people come together after a disaster and work collaboratively. Survivors often show amazing resiliency,” she adds. “Assisting in these types of situations is very rewarding.”

“Everyone in our College of Education and the entire university should be proud of Karin,” says Dr. Cynthia Flynn Capers, interim dean of the College of Education. “Her vital work in disaster areas shows not only her dedication to the fields of counseling and mental health, but more importantly her concern for people affected by terrible times of crisis.”

Return...