“Healing from the Trauma of War: Developing Sustainable, Culturally-responsive, Community-based Mental Health Supports in El Salvador, Central America”

About the presentation: This presentation will describe the development and evolution of the Arcatao Mental Health Project. This project was initially supported by a School of Education “Grand Challenges” grant. The project aims to develop and provide culturally responsive, holistic, and sustainable mental health supports for El Salvadorans living in the community of Arcatao who have experienced trauma from the civil war (1980-1992). Members of the communities of Arcatao and Madison have a thirty year relationship, stemming from the Initiation of the Madison Arcatao Sister city relationship in 1986. This work stands on the shoulders of this long=standing relationship and solidarity work.

About the speaker: David A. Rosenthal, Ph.D., CRC is a Professor and Rehabilitation Psychology Area Chair in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education. He served as Associate Dean of Curriculum and International Affairs in the School of Education from 2012-2016. He served as Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education from 2007-2011.

Dr. Rosenthal attained his PhD at the University of Wisconsin -Madison in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology in 1993. He has worked as a rehabilitation counselor, vocational placement specialist, a vocational consultant in the private sector, an expert witness in workers’ compensation litigations, and a special educator/program director. Dr. Rosenthal has over 60 published articles and chapters pertaining to rehabilitation psychology. He has been awarded several research and training grants funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) with PI or Co-PI status equaling over seven million dollars. Some of Dr. Rosenthal’s primary areas of interest and research include international rehabilitation, supported employment, psychiatric rehabilitation, clinical judgment and decision making in rehabilitation counseling, clinical bias, cross cultural and diversity issues.

Dr. Rosenthal is currently completing his seventh year as Area Chair of the RP Programs. He was recently elected as Vice President of the National Council of Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) – President – October 2019. Among other numerous awards and recognitions, he recently received the prestigious George Wright Varsity Award (2017) for his outstanding contributions to the field of Rehabilitation Psychology.