42 U.S.C. § 5183 — Crisis counseling assistance and training

The President may provide professional counseling services to victims of major disasters. The purpose is to relieve mental-health problems caused or aggravated by the disaster or its aftermath. The President may also provide financial assistance to State^* or local agencies or private mental-health organizations so they can provide those counseling services or train disaster workers.

(a) In general. The President may provide professional counseling services to victims of major disasters. The President may provide financial assistance to State or local agencies or private mental-health organizations to provide those services or train disaster workers. The counseling services are intended to relieve mental-health problems caused or aggravated by the major disaster or its aftermath.

(b) Training. Each State or local agency, or private mental-health organization, that provides the professional counseling services described in subsection (a) must ensure that every individual providing professional counseling services to victims of a major disaster as authorized under subsection (a), including individuals working for nonprofit partners and recovery organizations, is appropriately trained to address impacts from major disasters in communities and to individuals with socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

This section does not define “professional counseling services,” “mental-health problems,” “major disaster,” or “socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.”