Media Highlights

HIGHLIGHTS UCF Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor Deborah Beidel – representing the entire UCF RESTORES team – has been named a finalist for Orlando Sentinel’s 2026 Central Floridian of the Year award. Beidel founded UCF RESTORES in 2011 as a clinical research center dedicated to changing the way that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood, […]

UCF RESTORES was recently invited to discuss the importance of extending our REACT Peer Support training program to first responder retirees. Developed by retired first responders for retired first responders, REACT for Retirees empowers those who have served to continue making an impact by providing peer support. The train-the-trainer program equips retirees with the tools, […]

A New Era of Crisis Response: State Leaders, UCF, Lockheed Martin, and First Responders Unite to Launch Next-Gen Mobile Emergency Response Unit  ORLANDO, FL (May 14, 2025) — UCF RESTORES today unveiled its groundbreaking Resiliency Command Center — a first-of-its-kind mobile behavioral health facility designed to provide a safe environment for evidence-based behavioral health care […]

Read on for context on the launch of Blueline Rescue; to view the supporting News 13 story, scroll to the bottom of this page. At UCF RESTORES, we’re proud to lead mental wellness research, treatment, and support efforts for first responders, both in Florida and across the United States. We know that first responders face […]

Ahead of PTSD Awareness Day 2023, UCF RESTORES Executive Director Deborah Beidel, Ph.D., ABPP was invited to join an on-air, expert panel discussion on mental health and the stigma surrounding PTSD. “What we know is that it takes a lot for people to go and ask for therapy… we need to think more about making […]

UCF RESTORES Executive Director Deborah Beidel, Ph.D., ABPP, discusses the effectiveness and importance of PTSD treatment for first responders and veterans. https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2021/12/23/tampa-bay-first-responders-open-up-about-mental-toll-of-frontline/

UCF RESTORES Executive Director Deborah Beidel, Ph.D., ABPP met with Knights Do That podcast host Alex Cumming to share her expertise on innovative PTSD treatments, her work with UCF RESTORES, and how we can better acknowledge and support veterans. Produced by UCF, the podcast highlights students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni who do incredible things […]

FOX 35 Orlando’s Nestor Mato sat down with UCF RESTORES Executive Director Deborah Beidel, Ph.D., ABPP, for a deep-dive into the program’s approach to PTSD treatment, including the use of virtual reality (VR) in evidence-based exposure therapy. The story also covers our team’s currently active clinical trials, through which we’re testing the effectiveness of our […]

Last week, our team at UCF RESTORES® deployed to Surfside to support the first responders attending to the tragic, recent building collapse. During our time at the active site, we met with hundreds of first responders from across the state, providing as-needed “psychological first aid” for these brave and selfless heroes. We were honored to […]

Last week, our team was honored to host Q McCray, an award-winning reporter with WFTV Channel 9, for the launch of RedlineRescue.org – the first-of-its-kind, no-cost, fully automated peer support portal for Florida’s first responders. Thank you to the incredible reporters that help spread the word of such important advancements for the mental health and wellbeing of […]