COPING
STRATEGIES
TIME
Magazine – 10/15/01
“Even Soldiers Hurt”
By Andrew GoLDFtein
People
Magazine – 10/29/01
“Calming Your Fears”
Reuters
News Wire – New
York, 9/28/01
“Seeking Rest From the Terrors, New York Pops Pills”
By Jonathon Landreth
Worchester
Telegram and Gazette,
9/28/01
“When Things Fall Apart”
By Pamela Sacks
Dayton
Daily News – 10-2-01
“Coping with Crisis: Traumatic Events Propel Some
Folks Into Old Habits”
By Meredith Moss
News
Gazette – Champaign, IL 9/16/01
“Attack on America:
A Very Present Help in Trouble”
By Mike Monson
Muncie
Star Press – Muncie, IN 9/14/01
“Fight Fear With Joy, Counselors Say”
By John Carlson
The
Kansas City Star – Kansas City, MO 9/11/01
“Say a Prayer, Write a Letter, Work for Peace”
By Lisa Gutierrez
The
Kansas City Star – Kansas City, MO 9/17/01
“Many Without a Fear of Flying are Re-Evaluating
their Feelings”
By Lisa Gutierrez and Karen Uhlenhuth
Daily
Illini – Urbana, IL 9/17/01
“Social Worker Director Describes Terror”
By Tom Rybarczyk
Washington
Post – Washington DC9/12/01 2:00 p.m.
“Attacks on U.S. Soil:
A Red Cross Grief Counselor Speaks Online”
www.washingtonpost.com
New
York Daily News – New York NY9/18/01
“Loved Ones Lost, Rituals are on Hold”
By Susan Ferraro
Concord
Monitor – Concord, NH 9/12/01
“Counselors Reach Out, Offer Advice”
By Kristin Proulx
Telegram & Gazette – Worchester,
MA 9/12/01
“There’s a Lot of Raw Emotion Today: Family, Friends are
Key to Coping”
By Sandy Quadros-Bowles
Deseret
News –Deseret UT 9/12/01
“Experts Say the American Psyche Can Heal”
By Lois Collins
The
Daily Astorian – OR 9/12/01
“Tips for Handling Stress from Catastrophic Events”
Source: www.dailyastorian.com
Trenton
Times – Trenton NJ 9/22/01
“Healing the Internal ‘Wounds’ : Free Counseling
Available to Help Cope After Terrorist Attack“
Times
Union – Albany
NY 9/24/01
“Helping Others Cope with Sense of Loss”
By Lyrysa Smith
St.
Louis Post Dispatch – St. Louis MO 9/26/01
“Web Helps Spread News After Attacks, Locate Missing
People”
By Repps Hudson
Daily
Record – Morristown NJ 9/26/01
“Randolph Therapist Hosts Free Sessions”
By Matt Manochio
TIME
Magazine – 10/15/01
“Even Soldiers
Hurt”
By Andrew GoLDFtein
Mental health, never
before a priority for the Pentagon, has become a full-scale operation. “The
coming weeks may be the toughest yet, and more and more reactions
and feelings are beginning to come to the surface,” says Lieutenant
Colonel Hank Cashen, a social worker normally stationed at
Andrews Air Force Base. He is part of a new 100 person team of
mental health pros deployed to the Pentagon following the Sept
11 attack. As tasks return to normal, he says, there is more
time to reflect.
People
Magazine – 10/29/01
“Calming Your
Fears”
Social worker Jay
Koch was interviewed for this People Magazine cover
feature. Koch is a licensed clinical social worker in Kansas
City, MO, who specializes in treating people who fear to fly.
Himself, a former white-knuckle flier, Koch overcame his phobia
and went on to earn his pilot’s license. He says, “There has
always been an interesting paradox of flight. Even though it
is extremely safe statistically, people perceive it to be risky.
When an airline crashes, the world knows about it. The media
are not covering every car crash.”
For those who start
to have a panic attack on a plan, Koch advises, “Do not get into
rapid breathing. Hold your breath for two or three counts and
then exhale. Then do it again. Also, you can talk to somebody,
distract yourself from the scary thoughts you are having. If
you tell people on an airliner that you are a really fearful
flier and ask them to talk to you, they always will, especially
in this climate. There are lots of cooperative attitudes right
now, that we are all in this together.”
Reuters
News Wire – New York 9/28/01
“Seeking Rest
From the Terrors, New York Pops Pills”
By Jonathon Landreth
New Yorkers are increasingly
turning to sedation to help them escape the nightmares created
by the Sept 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Consumption
of sleeping pills and anti-depressents is common in dealing with
stress and anxiety resulting from trauma, but need not be continued
after patients stabiize, experts say. “People take drugs to
make them feel as if this had not happened at all, said certified
social worker and psychotherapist Susan Lukas. “ Many
people are reporting sleep disturbance and anxiety, which is
normal, but they may want to allow themselves to get the feelings
that the drugs are suppressing.”
Worchester
Telegram and Gazette 9/28/01
“When Things Fall
Apart”
By Pamela Sacks
Clinical social worker Marjorie
Cahn is the founder of the Worcester Institute on Loss
and Trauma, which is dedicated to providing support and education
for those whose jobs involve helping people affected by disaster.
She realized the need for the institute as she confronted the
lingering effects of the December 1999 Worcester warehouse
fire, in which six firefighters lost their lives. She
knew on Sept 11, that her group’s upcoming symposium on catastrophe
and trauma on Oct 12 would be an important event for the community.
Cahn believes that the speed of recovery depends on personal
resilience. “I couldn’t have fathomed what happened in New
York, she said, but I had a sense that what we were doing in
setting up the institute would go beyond the Worcester fire.”
Dayton
Daily News 10/2/01
“Coping with Crisis:
Traumatic Events Propel Some Folks Into Old Habits”
By Meredith Moss
When faced with a major
and terrifying crisis, many of us fall back on coping skills
we’ve used in the past, even if they are not good for us. “We
try to look for the quick fix, “ explains Elaine Koenigsberg,
a Kettering clinical social worker. “The world was out of control
on Sept 11 or so it felt. It was in turmoil.” Under those circumstances,
she says, human beings try to regain control.
“We’ve been trying to
respond to a situation most of us have never experienced before,” Koenigsberg
said. “We feel frightened and overwhelmed. Now we’re also trying
to deal with the thought of chemical or biological warfare. No
wonder we react by overeating, overspending or oversleeping.” She
says that once the initial shock is over and the more mature
part of us kicks in, we realize the negative behaviors aren’t
helping. “That’s the time to think of ways to reframe the situation,
to do something healthy and useful. Beating yourself up will
serve no purpose,” she adds.
News
Gazette – Champaign, IL 9/16/01
“Attack on America: A Very Present Help
in Trouble”
By Mike Monson
A need for reassurance
and to be with other people drew thousands of people to church
services in the days following the terrorist attacks. Peter
Erickson, a social worker with the Christie Clinic, said
people believe in the power of prayer. “When something like this
happens, people pray for the victims and for things to be all
right for the country,” he said. “I think when something bad
like this happens in the country, it tends to make people focus
on what’s important to them. It draws people to religious or
spiritual communities. “I think it’s healthy,” Erickson said. “It’s
a way for people to come together and meditate and deal with
what’s happened and be accepted by like-minded people.”
Muncie
Star Press - Muncie, IN 9/14/01
“Fight Fear With
Joy, Counselors Say”
By John Carlson
Virtually all Americans
were traumatized by the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, but mental
health experts say that this is no time to let fear take over
our lives. Social worker Sally Brodhead says, “It’s likely
people are going to feel increased sadness as this goes along.
She is employed at Comprehensive Mental Health Services. Barbara
Sells, also a CMHS clinical social worker, adds, “It’s normal
to have trouble staying focused or sleeping. About everyone is
starting to feel that.” These experts advise citizens to give
what we can (blood, money, time), get exercise and talk with
others.
The
Kansas City Star – Kansas City, MO 9/11/01
“Say a Prayer, Write a Letter, Work for Peace”
By Lisa Gutierrez
Grief counselors in
Kansas City say people can best cope with the crisis aftermath
through action. Examples include writing a letter of condolence
to a victim’s family; talking it out; and praying. Kay Spaniol,
a clinical social worker at Psychology and Counseling Center
in Olathe, says, “When these kind of things happen it makes
me more determined to live my life as normally as possible. There’s
a certain amount of risk in just living our daily lives. So I
guess that’s how I look at it. Not living in fear is having some
kind of control or power over the situation.”
Gary Bachman,
a social worker at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said
that after horrifying events humans naturally go through shock
and horror, sometimes taking days to comprehend the enormity
of what has occurred. “The first thing we’re all involved in
is a process of inventory,” said Bachman, who did psychological
triage after the Oklahoma City bombing. “We ask ourselves am
I all right? Yes or no? Are my loved ones all right? Yes or
no? “ Bachman also said that after one takes that inventory and
determines that all is O.K., the key to coming to grips with
a national tragedy is to realistically take stock of what has
occurred. “One tool we have as individuals is the ability to
calm down, Bachman said. “ I think what is important is to take
a step away from what we see on the news and television, which
naturally assaults one’s sense of safety by bringing far-off
events into one’s living room.”
The
Kansas City Star – Kansas City, MO 9/17/01
“Many Without a Fear of Flying are Re-Evaluating their Feelings”
By Lisa Gutierrez and Karen Uhlenhuth
Consumer anxiety has
taken a major toll on the airlines since the attacks on Sept
11. Jerilyn Ross, president of the Anxiety Disorders of America
and a clinical social worker in Washington, D.C. says, “There’s
no question that there’s a change in the climate. And for many
people who had a mild fear or a moderate fear, this could push
them over the edge.”
Kansas City clinical
social worker Jay Koch believes, however, that even events
as horrific as the attacks are unlikely to generate a disabling
level of anxiety. Koch has treated about 65 people with fear
of flying. He said “people who are not afraid to fly, and who
observe something like what happened this week… their denial
that anything could happen, has been disrupted.”
Daily
Illini – Urbana, IL 9/17/01
“Social Worker Director Describes Terror”
By Tom Rybarczyk
Diana Stroud, director
of development for the University of Illinois School of Social
Work, recalls the smoke devouring the greater part of lower Manhattan
and the F-16s buzzing overhead. Stroud witnessed the attacks
first hand. “ I just took off. I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t
know what to do,” she said. Brenda Lindsey, a UI social
work professor, said that after an incident like the Sept. 11
attack, shock and denial are the two most common responses. She
also said that with heightened prejudices, it’s important to
remind the public that the Muslim people are not the problem.
“The trauma was felt
by many across the country,” says another UI professor Martha
Cooper.
“Dealing with the initial
shock of the attack can be trying and complex for firsthand victims.
But those family and friends were in danger might have similar
reactions, especially feelings of uncertainty regarding the status
of their missing loved ones. For others who had no loved ones
directly involved in the attack, this time can cause feelings
of insecurity and fear.”
Washington
Post – Washington DC9/12/01 2:00 p.m.
“Attacks on U.S. Soil: A Red Cross Grief
Counselor Speaks Online”
www.washingtonpost.com
John Weaver, a lead
grief counselor and social worker for the American Red Cross,
joined citizens online the day after the attacks. He answered
questions online from several cities in Virginia, California,
Maryland, Oregon, New York, Nevada, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
as well as West Bengal, Calcutta and Washington D.C.. He spoke
to citizens about grief counseling for victims, survivors, relatives
and emergency personnel in this moderated discussion. Weaver
advises, “Take things a day at a time, as much as possible. Return
to normal rituals – spending time with family and friends.”
For details of the online
discussion, go to http://discuss.washingtonpost.com.
For John Weaver’s Disaster
Mental Health Website, please visit http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/johndweaver/
New
York Daily News– New York NY9/18/01
“Loved Ones Lost, Rituals are on Hold”
By Susan Ferraro
For the grief-stricken
army of survivors whose loved ones are missing – tens of thousands
of relatives and friends of people who have not called home since
the WorldTrade Center attack – emotions and rituals are on hold.
“Hope remains important,“ said Liz
Hurwitz, a social worker and head of Mount Sinai Medical
Center’s bereavement services. “Hope acts as a psychic buffer,
allowing people to prepare, consciously or unconsciously, for
the acceptance that the person is not coming home. Often in
disasters, people may not have a body to bury. But, said Hurwitz,
they can still have funerals. “They can bury a person’s personal
belongings, with photos or with a cassette of them talking.
All kinds of things can be substituted,” she adds.
Yet, even as mourners
accept their loss and attend memorial services, the emotional
pain of unexpected disaster lurks. “ During the London Blitz
of World War II, people knew they were at war,” Hurwitz said. “Today’s
survivors must cope with an act of war without precedent or warning,
in peacetime, on men and women going about their daily affairs.
It is an intellectual, emotional and physical shock, as well
as spiritual, to let the news settle in.”
Concord
Monitor – Concord,
NH 9/12/01
“Counselors
Reach Out, Offer Advice”
By
Kristin Proulx
“Keeping in tune with
current facts can decrease fear and keep us from imagining the
worst,” says social worker Jill Johnson Bardsley. “But
it can also force us to relive a trauma over and over, to our
detriment.” Instead, social worker and alternative therapist Jill
Jones suggests people heal themselves with candlelight vigils
and contact with loved ones. Other counselors recommend connecting
with churches, employee assistance programs and guidance counselors. “People
need to spend time saying to themselves, ‘I’m okay. This isn’t
happening to me.’ And instead take this opportunity to tell people ‘I
love you and I’m glad you are safe’.”Jones said.
Like many in the city,
social worker Harriet Resnicoff didn’t receive any out
of ordinary crisis calls following the attacks, but her established
clients wanted—and needed—to talk about the day’s events during
their appointments. “Everyone has this feeling that even though
it’s not here in New Hampshire, that it could happen to me,” she
says. “It’s hard to get your hands around it, but this has affected
everyone.”
Telegram & Gazette – Worchester,
MA 9/12/01
“There’s a Lot
of Raw Emotion Today: Family, Friends are Key to Coping”
By Sandy Quadros-Bowles
Americans are grappling
with grief, anxiety, fear and uncertainty after the terrorist
attacks, say area mental health professionals. “People may be
surprised by the strength of their reactions, said Thomas
Hopkins, a licensed clinical social worker and director of
the employee assistance program at UMASS Memorial Health Care.
“It’s as if we’ve had
this huge loss, this huge shock,” Hopkins said. “People affected
by the tragedy may not eat or sleep normally. They may be walking
around in this sense of unreality. They also are reacting to
their sense of safety being violated. It may take awhile before
that may return.”
“Life is not just going
to crank right up to its usual pace,” Hopkins said. “I suspect
this is going to take a long time to digest.” He adds that keeping
in mind that life will eventually get back to normal may help
people persevere through difficult days ahead he said. “Until
that happens this is the time to be very sorry for those who’ve
been directly involved and those who’ve been indirectly involved.” And
that, he said, “includes all of us.”
Deseret
News – Deseret UT 9/12/01
“Experts
Say the American Psyche Can Heal”
By
Lois Collins
Shocked Americans were
trying to find comparisons. Pearl Harbor? The Cuban Missile Crisis?
The Oklahoma City bombing? In reality, nothing comparable has
ever happened in America.
“We gave up something
as a nation today,” said Stephanie Lucas, an LDF Hospital
social worker and crisis counselor. “Our lives will never be
the same, and never, as a country, will we feel as safe as we
did before.”
“That’s a bitter pill
to swallow, but we have to swallow it. It has not taken away
our hope, our optimism, our spirit, but deep down inside we all
know that things have changed,” Lucas said. “Parent’s know best
about their own children. You should answer as honestly as you
can the questions they are asking you.” She advises parents to
tell them there are no guarantees, but also help children believe
they are safe in homes and schools and communities. “And those
who have strong symptoms such as nightmares may need professional
help,” she adds.
Susan Hansen-Porter,
a licensed clinical social worker, suggests people look at their
personal situation as a way to calm down. “Probably the best
thing we can do in our personal life is to put the terrorist
attack in context: there’s no imminent danger to us personally
in SaltLake. Only by stepping back that way will the country
be able to start dealing with the larger issues we are going
to have to grapple with,” she said.
The
Daily Astorian– OR 9/12/01
“Tips for Handling
Stress from Catastrophic Events”
Source: www.dailyastorian.com
“The catastrophic events
on the East Coast are distressing to everyone,” commented Astoria
licensed clinical social worker Vince Morrison- President
Elect of the National Association of Social Workers for Oregon.
He offers the following methods of helping cope with the tragedy:
