Katrina Relief for the Psyche

When federal health officials finally began to grapple with the depths of horror that thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims were experiencing last September, they turned to Faye E. Coleman for help.

Coleman is founder and president of Westover Consultants Inc., a small Silver Spring consulting firm that provides training, logistical and management assistance services, primarily for social, educational and health challenges.

The firm's goal for more than two decades has been to improve the human condition. With that in mind, federal officials had just the project for Westover: Recruit and send hundreds of mental health professionals into the disaster zone.

Since September, Westover has managed more than $11 million in federal contracts -- sending psychiatrists, psychologists, substance abuse counselors, social workers and nurses on 14-day rotations in the effected areas in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Westover expects to sign another Katrina-related contract soon.

So far, about 700 private mental health professionals have responded, providing more than 33,000 counseling sessions, most of which have been one-on-one. For their efforts, the counselors get $200 a day -- far less than they would earn in private practice -- and the knowledge that they are helping improve a very troubled pocket of the human condition.

"The needs down there are just phenomenal," said Coleman, who has visited the area. "You can't believe it."

Westover worked with several mental health organizations to find volunteers. Coleman also used her extensive network of contacts in the profession. And it didn't take much arm-twisting to convince volunteers.

"A lot of people were already packed and ready to go when we called," said Edna Davis-Brown, who is managing the Katrina project at Westover. "It was like they won the lottery."

Bank to Open Third Branch

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Bethesda-based Fidelity & Trust Bank, founded three years ago by county business owners and banking executives, is opening its third branch, this one in Georgetown.

The branch, to be located on Wisconsin Avenue, is scheduled to open this spring.

Fidelity & Trust has approximately $367 million in assets.

Have some business news about Montgomery County? Send an e-mail torosenwaldm@washpost.com.