final paper 9-11

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School of Advance Business & Commerce, Lahore *

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MP541

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English

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May 13, 2024

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docx

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1 Communities in Crisis Samantha Nash Department of Applied Psychology, The Chicago School MP 541: Crisis Intervention Dr. Lora L. Erickson April 21, 2024

2 Communities in Crisis Terrorism has no set definition but is agreed that it is an act of violence that is political in nature with the goal of instilling fear and panic into the public (Rigutto et al., 2021) . Middletown, New Jersey, a township located in Monmouth County, has been affected profoundly by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) . Middletown, being only an hour train ride away from New York, had many residents commuting to work every day by train (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) . This city is a 42-square mile town and is the home to over 65,000 people (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) . In the wake of the crisis the town has reported a loss of thirty-seven of its residents, which is the highest number of lives lost during 9/11 disaster from any one city in America (Rob Spahr, 2013) . This very traumatic experience affected not only the families and friends of those who lost their lives but also the community. There are many ways for this event to disrupt mental health, from losing a family member to seeing the destruction, to not even having the final information on if your loved one would be able to be identified. Trauma and the responses from terrorisms that will affect each person differently and knowing the best way to manage the trauma response is paramount in healing. This paper will look at how the community and nation responded to this crisis and what methods were and could have been utilized to respond to this disaster from individuals to the whole community. Trauma Experienced in Terrorism and the Scope Trauma events have touched over 70% of the world population and the lasting effects could be just a damaging as the event itself (Ennis et al., 2020) . The traumatic experience of 9/11

3 left a lasting impact on Middletown, and the nation, with many of the residents experiencing some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as depression and anxiety. Studies show that the local affected areas and those closes to the victims have higher rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as anxiety then the rest of the population and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Rigutto et al., 2021) . There were families that have never been given confirmation that their loved ones were found (ambiguous loss) and as such will also raise the question of how to grieve (Boss, 2017) . Social isolation and change in employment accounted for some of the risk factors that led to MDD while knowing the victims was the strongest factor (Chatterjee et al., 2018) Common reactions to traumatic violence are losing the sense of safety and security (US Department of Veterans Affairs, N.D.) . Having safety and security is one of the basic needs that is discussed by Maslow in the hierarchy of needs and in general means that a person will not be able to heal completely without having a path to getting their needs met. The Middletown economic impact was complex, having affected both the individuals and the community and while it is difficult to total exactly, the loss of lives and the following grief undoubtedly had ripple effects. Who is Impacted? Over three thousand lives were lost (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) in the 9/11 attack and according to one study, the affected network of people that knew or were related to the victims ranges anywhere from 4-11% (Neria et al., 2008) . The families and friends of the thirty- seven who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack in Middletown have been the most impacted in their local area, however, the whole community, including residents, first responders, and employees of local businesses, also experienced trauma, and loss. The general population of Middletown is

4 a mostly white community with a median age of 41 with the 94% of the population living in the same house as the year before (Census Bureau, 2022) . The demography suggests any impact would be devastating with trauma and response as the community comes together to help those directly affected (Neria et al., 2011) . Interventions Flannery and Everly’s crisis intervention model is the model I would use in the wake of the 9/11 attack, specifically their critical incident stress management (CISM) (Everly et al., 2002) . CISM is an approach that has many components such as Critical incident stress debriefing which focuses on the severe symptoms of the trauma trying to mitigate it (Everly et al., 2002) . Those who are exposed to trauma or crisis incidents often experience the symptoms of PTSD such as hypervigilance and sleep deficiency (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) . Using Flannery and Everly’s CISM model, which is emergency mental health, mental health workers have the potential to lessen the effect of these symptoms to restore their functionality (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) . The process consists of immediate intervention, stabilization, create understanding, problem solving and supporting self-reliance (Cavaiola, A., & Colford, J., 2017) (Everly et al., 2002) . Evidence Based Guidelines Two of the strongest evidence-based guidelines for early psychological treatment after a crisis have been found to be trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization were recommended and reprocessing (EMDR) (Bisson & Olff, 2021). In studies it shows that TF-CBT and EDMR by the International Society for Traumatic Stress

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