Independent Practice, New York City and Larchmont, NY

             I was born in Brooklyn and have lived and worked most of my life in New York City.    Because I now live just outside the city, for days following the terrorist attacks, I could not get into Manhattan to volunteer.  I felt helpless and guilty as my colleagues were working with victims, their families, and rescue workers at Ground Zero.  I thought about how I could make a contribution to the psychological recovery and well-being of at least some of those who have been affected.  I decided to volunteer my services to a population I know well and one that would probably not be offered services with respect to the terrorist attacks.

             I called a number of my corporate clients, contacts who had referred work to me, and law firms with whom I had worked, and offered to conduct a debriefing group pro bono for anyone in their company or firm.  Many of my client companies are in industries that have strong ties to those in the World Trade Center and downtown Manhattan, such as finance, real estate, law, and insurance.  People in these companies and firms have close connections with those companies whose offices were destroyed and lost people in the attack.   One person told me that he and others in his company were on a conference call with someone at Cantor Fitzgerald when the plane hit and the phone went dead.

             The debriefing sessions were open to anyone who wanted to come.  As might be anticipated, more women than men and more support staff than senior executives, brokers, or partners attended.  People were very appreciative that I had come to talk with them and I felt better that I was doing something useful.   Because these firms had not lost anyone and did not have their buildings destroyed or damaged, the people in them are not necessarily seen as victims.  Many of them, however, are experiencing significant symptoms and work disruption.

 Workplace Themes

             In addition to the common reactions we have all witnessed and, perhaps, experienced ourselves, several themes emerged in these sessions that were specific to work environments.

             Level of empathy.   A common concern was that the bosses or partners do not understand what their employees are going through.  My sample is small, but it seems that upper level executives and managers are better at using denial and displacement than their supervisees.  It was reassuring to others, when senior level people or firm partners expressed their own distress during the sessions.  It is important for people to know that those in charge understand.

             Distance from the disaster.  The closer the connection to the disaster, the more likely that someone would have a stronger reaction.  Some people had, at one time, worked in the World Trade Center or specifically for one of the companies that lost many people.  They echoed the sentiment, “It could have been me.”   In some cases, their former co-workers and friends were killed in the attack and they were attending many memorial services.

             Fear of being stigmatized.   Many people were self-conscious about their feelings and were reluctant to reveal them to their co-workers or managers.  A few people straggled in toward the end,  wanting some help but not wanting to publicly participate in the session.

            Guilt.   Some people felt guilty because they were having difficulty working but had lost no one close to them.  They did not feel entitled to have such problems.  In addition, they felt guilty because they were letting down the company or their immediate boss by not working as effectively as they previously had.  A number of people did not come back to work for the remainder of the first week.  One woman said that when her building across from Grand Central Station was evacuated she just kept walking in her high heels until she reached her home in Brooklyn about 10 miles away.

Helping organizations cope

             1.  A process for people to access stress management and debriefing programs should be established, either through an existing EAP or through external consultants.

             2.  Senior level people need to support and participate in the programs offered.