September 11, 2001

Abstract

September 11 plunged college counseling services into a whirlpool of prolonged crisis management. In this paper the director of counseling and a staff therapist recapture their experiences working at New York University, where many students lived close to ground zero and everyone, students and therapists alike, had their personal lives disrupted. Administratively, the great challenges were responding quickly to a confusing situation, marshalling resources, and maintaining staff morale. Clinically, the overarching challenge was to provide appropriate interventions for a shaken yet clinically diverse student body while simultaneously dealing with one's own posttraumatic reactions.

Key Words:

• September 11
• 2001
• crisis management
• disaster response
• New York City