Practical Skills for Wellbeing, Connection, and Recovery
Disaster Relief Mobilization–Community Resiliency Model (DRM-CRM)
“Strengthening communities after disaster—one skill, one conversation, one resilient step at a time.”
The Disaster Relief Mobilization–Community Resiliency Model (DRM-CRM) is a skills-based, trauma and resiliency-informed program designed to support communities in the aftermath of natural disasters.
Grounded in biology and wellbeing science, DRM-CRM equips survivors, families, and responders with practical tools to regulate the nervous system, reduce distress, and foster collective healing.
By integrating self-care strategies, strength-based conversations, and community-driven practices, DRM-CRM promotes recovery, prevents compassion fatigue, and can cultivate long-term resilience across the lifespan and with diverse populations.
“Practical skills for wellbeing, connection, and recovery when crisis strikes.”
Our DRM-CRM Program
The Disaster Relief Mobilization–Community Resiliency Model (DRM-CRM) Program is designed to bring healing, stabilization, and sustainable resilience to communities impacted by natural disasters, including the devastating Los Angeles firestorms and flooding in the US Southern states. Rooted in the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)®, this initiative provides biologically based, evidence-informed tools that restore balance to the nervous system and strengthen community recovery.
Goals and Objectives
Support Communities After Disaster: Offer wellness skills that help survivors and responders manage stress, trauma, and uncertainty.
Recognize Strengths and Challenges: Identify existing community resources and barriers that shape recovery.
Understand Survival Responses: Explain the body’s natural reactions—fight, flight, freeze, and tend-and-befriend-and their role in disaster healing.
Strengthen Self-Care: Help participants assess their own Resilient Zone and practice strategies to prevent burnout.
Adapt for All Settings: Deliver DRM-CRM gatherings tailored to group size, culture, and shared trauma contexts.
Communicate with Compassion: Apply CRM’s six wellness skills through supportive, strength-based conversations.
Know When to Refer: Recognize signs of deeper mental health needs and guide survivors to appropriate care pathways.
Build Sustainable Plans: Develop personalized and community-based self-care strategies to prevent compassion fatigue and enhance well-being.
Practice Through Role-Play: Develop real-world readiness by applying DRM-CRM skills to post-disaster scenarios.
Phases of Community Implementation
The phases of DRM-CRM implementation are important because they provide a structured pathway that guides communities from immediate crisis response toward long-term resilience and recovery. By moving step-by-step, survivors and helpers can build capacity, reduce overwhelm, and strengthen both individual and collective well-being in the aftermath of disaster.
Stabilization & Outreach – Immediate support with skills-based tools for survivors, families, and responders.
Capacity Building – Training local leaders, educators, and community members to use and share CRM skills.
Sustainability & Integration – Embedding DRM-CRM into community networks, schools, and recovery systems for long-term resilience.
Applications
Individuals: Reduce anxiety, fear, and overwhelm through nervous system regulation.
Families: Strengthen connection and safety after shared loss or displacement.
Communities: Foster solidarity and hope in the face of destruction.
Responders: Build resilience and prevent compassion fatigue among frontline helpers.
