Midland Fire Recovery

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CRISIS INTERVENTION FOR EDUCATORS Stanley C. Feist PhD, LMHC WE HAVE JUST HAD A VERY BIG WAKE-UP CALL. Japan is a technologically advanced nation with sophisticated knowledge, and yet they are overwhelmed by this unexpected disaster. We see how unprepared Japan is to deal effectively with every aspect of this horrible disaster. Their people are devastated beyond belief by this tragedy? Is the U S better prepared? What can we do to better deal with the effects of a sudden, unexpected horror? I would like to provide for you some first hand information about managing the after effects of a disaster. Giselle Stolper, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of New York City stated that before 9/11 treatment for emotional trauma was a specialty, now it is a recognized necessity. What I have to say…show more content…
"It's all in a day's work..." is a frequent response. However, clinical depression is common especially for people who play a role in high profile rescue efforts. A few examples include Robert O’Donnel of the Midland Fire Rescue, Texas who pulled 18 month old Jessica out of a deep well. O'Donnel never recovered from that incident. He became an alcoholic, lost his job, his family and in 1995, about seven years later, he committed suicide with a shotgun (Lunsford, 2002, Babinek, 1997). Robert Long shot himself some time after helping rescue nine trapped miners in the Quecreek Mine, PA. (Charney, 2003), There were six suicides after the Oklahoma City bombing. These included Terrance Yeaker, the first police officer to arrive on the scene, another police officer as well as a federal prosecutor who was involved in the McVeigh investigation (Hopkins, & Jones, 2004). The less dramatic incidence of incipient depression is more difficult to document. For example, police have an especially high suicide rate after
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