Fenichel's Current Topics in Psychology: Trauma Resources

Trauma Resources

Children's Reactions to the Sept.11, 2001 World Trade Center Attack

It's strange to see people on the streets of New York and know that somewhere inside their heads they are thinking about the same thing as every other American.

Remember the Towers! The sky-line will never be the same. We will never be the same. Rebuild in Peace.

Our nation will become a stronger nation and we will overcome this tragic disaster.

We will make it through this crisis. New York is strong. Nothing can stop us. Thank you to everyone who is helping in the rescue effort. God Bless everyone.

Psychologists: Attacks Will Leave Deep Scars

LONDON (Reuters News, September 11, 2001) - In scenes worse than a disaster film, three hijacked passenger jets slammed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Tuesday killing untold numbers of people and robbing a nation and the world of its sense of safety.

Trauma experts and psychologists said survivors of the catastrophe and relatives of those killed in the disaster would never be emotionally the same again.

For millions of others who watched the carnage on television the harrowing images will be imprinted forever in their memory.

Trauma References & Resources

Acute Stress Disorder
American and European definitions, and discussions of this immediate reaction to trauma. (MentalHealth.com)
http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-an08.html

Age-Related Reactions of Children to Disasters
An excellent overview of how a child's age affects response to disaster.
From the NY State Education Department's (still) excellent Crisis Counseling Guide.
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/crisis/counsel.htm

Coping With a National Tragedy
References and hand-outs for parents and teachers. "Best Practice" tips for school psychologists.
(National Association of School Psychologists)
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/terror_general.aspx

Crisis Communications Guide & Toolkit
From the NEA/HIN, an excellent guide to preparedness in schools. Separated into the 3 areas of readiness, response, and recovery. Plus a large collection of tools and resources for dealing with disaster.
http://crisisguide.neahin.org/crisisguide/

A Guide to Children's Grief
A basic, brief guide to understanding how children understand death, and grieve.
(Kenneth Doka - PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/onourownterms/articles/children.html

Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Parents Can Do
(National Institute of Mental Health)
An excellent discussion of what trauma is, how it impacts children and teens, and how it can be assisted by parents. [En Español]
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-parents/complete-index.shtml

International Emergency Relief Links [NYC] [NYS]
Here is a central directory of major relief agencies, for those wishing to help relief efforts.
http://www.internationaldonors.org/emergency/emerlinks.html

Managing Traumatic Stress:
Tips for Recovering From Disasters and Other Traumatic Events
From APA, in response to the September 11, 2001 Disaster
http://helping.apa.org/therapy/traumaticstress.html

Nightmare Response
A Mini-course for Clinicians and Trauma Workers on Posttraumatic Nightmares
http://www.asdreams.org/magazine/articles/seigel_nightmares.htm

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Booklets, fact sheets, and extensive references from Medline [Español]
(National Institute of Mental Health, National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health)
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml

Practice parameters for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder
This is for mental health professionals engaged in assessment and treatment.
(J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, National Guideline Clearinghouse) - PDF
http://www.aacap.org/galleries/PracticeParameters/PTSDT.pdf

Psychologists: Attacks Will Leave Deep Scars
The world has become "an alien place" for many, with lasting impact predicted.
(Yahoo/Reuters)
http://www.fenichel.com/yahoo-wtc.shtml

Survivor Information - World Trade Center 9/01
Authorative information from the WTC - survivor lists, etc.
http://www.ny.com/wtc.html

TalkPsychologyLive - Radio Interview (9-14-01)
Live discussion of crisis and trauma in the aftermath of the attacks (Fenichel/Kraus)
http://www.fenichel.com/media/talkradio.wma

Talking (tough topics) with Children
Excellent general guidelines for post-trauma work with children, accessible and practical.
(Judith A. Myers, Purdue University)
http://www.fenichel.com/traumatalk.shtml

A Teacher's Guide to Grief
Some concrete suggestions for teachers working with grief in the classroom.
(Ed Grassel - PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/onourownterms/articles/teacher2.html

Trauma Information Pages
Award winning site from psychologist David Baldwin. Many "handouts" and resources.
www.trauma-pages.com

School Violence

VIOLENCE EXPLODES IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS! (March 8, 2001) [Resource List]

At least 11 students in California were under arrest and several other were suspended for making threats -- serious or otherwise -- to outdo Monday's shooting spree at Santana High School in a middle class suburb of San Diego. In Pennsylvania, a 14-year-old girl was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly shooting a female classmate in the cafeteria of their Roman Catholic high school. Incidents reported in California on Wednesday ranged from a 17-year old spotted in an Orange County school parking lot with a reproduction of an M-16 rifle to two teens in the desert resort town of Twentynine Palms accused of harboring a gun and a hit list of 16 classmates. In the San Diego area, sheriff's deputies were posted at all 12 high schools in the district comprising Santana High, and seven sheriffs were on full time duty at Santana High itself as classes slowly resumed.(Yahoo!/ABC News)

March 22, 2001 - ANOTHER SCHOOL SHOOTING! In a school with an elaborate "school safety plan". It is imperative for school leaders to understand that we can't offer a safe and secure learning environment for children and adolescents unless the causes and warning signs of violence are addressed. Preventive mental health services in schools need to be taken seriously. Turning schools into armed camps is not the answer. An ounce of prevention...

Additional References

Adolescent Mental Health
Original articles and web-based resources for teens, educators, and practitioners.
(Fenichel)
http://www.fenichel.com/adolhealth.shtml

Children and Violence
Articles and resources on the impact of school violence and other violence on children.
(Fenichel)
http://www.fenichel.com/violence.shtml

How to Find Help For Life's Problems
Online information and brochures from the American Psychological Association's consumer Help Center.
http://helping.apa.org/

Parent Resources
A collection of resources, forums, & articles on parent-child, family, and sibling relationships.
(National Network for Child Care)
http://www.nncc.org

Raising Children to Resist Violence: What You Can Do
From the American Psychological Association, basic strategies, suggestions, and information for parents.
http://helping.apa.org/family/raising.html

CURRENT TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY Children & Violence Tributes

Last Updated: Tuesday, 20-Sep-2011 00:49:24 CDT