Amy Nitza

Dr. Amy Nitza is the Director of the Global Center for AI in Mental Health at the University at Albany. Trained as a counseling psychologist, she specializes in the development and dissemination of best practices in global mental health. 

As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Botswana, Dr. Nitza trained mental health and school counselors in the use of group interventions in HIV/AIDS prevention. She also collaborated with UNICEF USA to develop and implement a program of mental health support for children and teachers impacted by the recent disasters in Puerto Rico. 

She has directed numerous grant-funded projects including from the New York State Office of Mental Health, Office of Victim Services and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. She is a co-author of the recent First Responder Mental Health Needs Assessment, a survey of the mental health challenges and needs of responders across New York State. 

Dr. Nitza has provided training at the federal level to the Executive Office of the President, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Smithsonian Institution. She has provided direct service to survivors of numerous disasters including Hurricanes Sally, Dorian, Harvey and Maria, the Creek Fire in California, and the earthquakes in Haiti and Puerto Rico. 

She is a Fellow of the Association for Specialists in Group Work and Past President of the Society for Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Division 49) of the American Psychological Association. She is the author of numerous publications, including the book Disaster Mental Health Case Studies: Lessons Learned from Counseling in Chaos. 

Prior to joining the University at Albany, Dr. Nitza served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz, where she also directed the Advanced Certificate in Trauma and Disaster Mental Health.