“We must be the change we wish to see.”  Mahatma Gandhi 

On the morning of August 29, 2005, the Central Gulf Coast region of
the United States was devastated by the costliest tropical storm in U. S.
history. Responsible for approximately $75 billion in damages and over
1,400 lives lost, Hurricane Katrina forever changed the lives of millions
of Americans. Just a few weeks later, Hurricane Rita hit the region
again causing even more destruction. Touched by what was happening to
our fellow Americans, Valerie Dalton Acosta responded to the call for help. 

Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, The American Red Cross began asking
for volunteers. Realizing that they would need mental health counselors to 
work in their shelters and in the Gulf Coast region, the Red Cross contacted
the American Counseling Association to ask for assistance from licensed 
mental health counselors. Having just received her license on 
September 7, 2005, Valerie Dalton, LPC, M.Ed, was asked to volunteer
for two weeks as a Disaster Mental Health Specialist. During her two-week
deployment in Fort Worth, Texas, Valerie was stationed at a critical care
shelter, which housed approximately 200 guests with special physical and 
psychological needs. 

Because this experience was so personally and professionally rewarding,
Valerie volunteered again through SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Servicces Administration) to provide counseling services to individuals
displaced from New Orleans and now living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

As a Disaster Mental Health Specialists, Valeire helped individuals and families
in both Fort Worth and Baton Rouge to alleviate emotional distress, 
strengthen their positive coping skills, screen for psychological status, ensure
that needed services were provided, and refer for further assessment and treatment needs.

Having been personally affected by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, these volunteer opportunites 
provided Valerie with an opportunity to give back after having been helped by so many.

To learn more about the American Red Cross, please visit www.virginiacapitalredcross.org 
To learn more about SAMHSA, please visit: www.samhsa.gov