Catholic Charities Agencies Anticipating and Responding to Emotional Needs Surfacing Months after September 11 Attacks

Catholic Charities USA
Thursday, 7 March 2002

As the six-month anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon approaches, Catholic Charities agencies are prepared to offer help for a growing number of post-traumatic stress disorders and other emotional needs that may be developing months after the attacks.

Mental health clinics of a number of Catholic Charities agencies report increasing numbers of people seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorders, including symptoms of sleeplessness, anxiety, and startle response. In addition, counselors are seeing cases of "survivors guilt" among firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel who lost friends in the World Trade Center.

Dr. Tom Horan, director of behavioral health services for Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of New York, said that delayed reactions to a tragedy such as this one are very common, and that seeking counseling is a healthy way for people to work through matters.

"It's important to understand the relationship and not try to force ourselves to believe that we should be over these feelings and move on, as many might want us to do," said Horan, who has taught disaster mental health courses to professionals in Oklahoma City and New York.

"Feelings of fear, anger, anxiety, isolation, and experiencing difficulty in concentration continue to be normal reactions to an abnormal situation, and talking about it is preferable to trying to cope in a maladaptive way," Dr. Horan said. "Domestic abuse, substance abuse, and depression are just some of the areas that we need to watch out for in the many families, victims and rescue workers who were effected by the events of September 11."

"Catholic Charities agencies have expertise in dealing with the effects of a disaster over the long haul, and use that experience to anticipate and respond to needs that develop long after the dust has settled," said Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, president of Catholic Charities USA. "With the work Catholic Charities agencies have done in dealing with long-term needs following floods, hurricanes and the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, we knew that some of the emotional needs of a community do not become evident for some time."

For example, Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City responded to a marked increase in requests for counseling several months after the 1995 bombing of the federal building, and some rescue workers did not experience emotional difficulties until three years later. Catholic Charities officials and counselors from Oklahoma City have provided guidance and advice about what to expect to agencies in the New York, Boston and Washington DC areas in the months following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The emotional strains following the attacks come from many directions, and some have a burden that is almost too much for them to bear. For example, one woman who came to Catholic Charities in Brooklyn/Queens had a horrifying escape from Ground Zero from her job near the World Trade Center, and her distress was compounded by the fact that her son was a Marine assigned to fight in Afghanistan. The woman's caseworker immediately connected her to a Catholic Charities clinic for post-traumatic stress counseling.

"The psychological consequences of the September 11 disaster, which was intentionally inflicted by terrorists, are likely to be greater than consequences produced by unintentional or natural disasters," said Joseph Duffy, executive secretary of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson, NJ, which is adding clinical social workers and counseling professionals to help with long-term recovery. "Even more than the physical effects of the disaster, the emotional effects cause long-lasting suffering, disability, and loss of income. As the shock and terror dissipates, psychological professionals are beginning to witness the emergency of a wide variety of emotional disturbances."

In Trenton, NJ, Catholic Charities has designated a team of clinicians to spearhead a coordinated disaster response effort for those affected by the attacks. The agency's "9/11 Response Program" is equipped to provide ongoing trauma and bereavement counseling as well as the case management service at no cost to individuals in need.

"Our first goal is to continue identifying those in our communities who may need our support and services; then we will work toward their recovery providing care and resources to meet their physical, material, and mental health needs," said Francis E. Dolan, executive director of Catholic Charities of Trenton. He added that the agency intends to provide care for the "whole person" over the long-term.

"We've witnessed with other horrific tragedies just how long the healing and recovery process can be. Catholic Charities is committed to meeting the needs of our communities well into the future," Dolan said.

Dave Cavanaugh, program director of family services for Catholic Charities in Arlington, VA, said his agency continues to respond to the tragedy. Immediately following the horrible events, they began to assist the people of the Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia communities. An emergency crisis counseling center was established at the parish closest to the Pentagon where grief counselors have provided support and counseling for Pentagon workers, airline employees and victims' families. Catholic Charities of Arlington continues to assess the need within their community and are sponsoring on-going grief workshops and support groups.

Catholic Charities in Metuchen, NJ, is providing services to more people now—nearly six months later—than the agency served immediately following the tragedy, said Betty Christie, a spokesman for the agency. "Many people were dealing with tremendous shock and are just now beginning to reach out and seek counseling services," Christie said.

To provide counseling assistance to these people who now find themselves in need of assistance, Catholic Charities of Metuchen is working with other mental health providers in the community to ensure that these needs are met.

Catholic Charities USA has collected more than $28 million for September 11 recovery, and has allocated more than $21 million so far to 19 agencies. "The generous donations to Catholic Charities USA for September 11 recovery efforts are being used by agencies to make a difference in the lives of people affected physically, economically or emotionally by these tragedies—regardless of their faith," Fr. Hehir said.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Charities USA, see their website at: www.catholiccharitiesusa.org