MUNCIE, Ind. - A Ball State University disaster counseling educator has been invited to an aviation disaster education program sponsored by the American Red Cross.

Robert Hayes, a counseling psychology professor, will be one of 20 individuals to be trained to provide mental health services at aviation mishaps by the International Disaster Response Unit of the American Red Cross Aug. 19-24 in San Jose, Costa Rica.

He has been a member of the Red Cross Aviation Incident Response Team since 1997 and has been active in American Red Cross Disaster Services since working in Los Angeles following an earthquake in 1994.

Hayes has provided mental health assistance to workers and disaster victims at 20 disaster sites since 1994, rising through the American Red Cross ranks from technician to disaster/mental health officer. He also is an instructor of Red Cross advanced disaster courses.

Hayes has taught counseling psychology classes at Ball State for 36 years and is an active member of the local Hoosier Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross.

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager