Counseling Available to New Yorkers Still Suffering 9/11 Emotional Wounds

When the 9/11 Commission brought No. 11 of its 12 public hearings back to New York City in May to examine the actions of emergency response departments, mental health professionals were concerned for New Yorkers who might still feel emotionally wounded, even 32 months later.

“We learned from the Oklahoma City bombing [of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995] that most people sought counseling two to three years after the tragedy,” reported Erica Lowry, director of mental health and health services for the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program.

She said experts feared that news coverage of the NYC hearings “could open raw wounds and bring on unwanted memories,” triggering feelings of distress, just as anniversaries of tragic events do. “The good news is that help is still available through the 9/11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program.”

The counseling and assistance program is accessed by calling 800/LIFENET, the city’s official multilingual mental health crisis, information and referral hotline, operating 24/7 and staffed by mental health professionals.

People affected by the 9/11 tragedy might be experiencing sleeplessness, unexplained physical problems, irritability, problems at work or home, increased alcohol or substance abuse, and fear of returning to places that remind them of the attacks.

“We want people to know these symptoms are normal but that they can feel good again and they don’t have to go through it alone,” said John Draper, PhD, the Mental Health Association (MHA) of New York City’s director of both public education and the LifeNet Multicultural Network. “People can get the assistance they need without waiting until the impact on their lives and relationships becomes too much for them to manage.”

Draper said LIFENET averaged 3,000 calls per month before 9/11/01, but that number doubled to 6,000 calls per month immediately afterwards, where it has remained. The call volume predictably spiked still higher during the recent hearings, as it is expected to again during the anniversary month of September.

Maintained by MHA and funded by the American Red Cross, the program continues to assist anyone directly impacted by the attacks, including rescue and recovery workers, evacuees from lower Manhattan and first-hand witnesses, residents and those employed below Canal Street who lost homes, jobs or wages, and family members anywhere of people who were killed. The program also offers financial assistance for out-of-pocket costs of mental health and substance abuse treatment retroactively to September 11, 2001, regardless of insurance, immigration status or place of residence.

A full description of eligibility is available at www.9-11MentalHealth.org; or call the hotline at 800/543-3638.

—KR