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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2003
8:00am – 12:30pm

8:00am – 8:30am
Opening Ceremony, including an Honor Guard & presentation of colors & welcomes by Dr. George S. Everly, Jr. & Dr. Jeffrey T. Mitchell.
 

9:00am – 9:45am
Military CISM Response to the Pentagon Attack of 9-11
Lt. Col. Charles E. Woods

A broad based overview of operations and CISM services provided subsequent to the Pentagon Attack of 9-11.  It will describe what challenges were faced, as well as the services provided, and how they were organized.  Other material will present the types and numbers of personnel served, as well as the problems encountered with mobilizing resources.  The final part of the session will present those things that did not work, as well as those that worked extremely well.
 

9:45am – 10:30am
On the Ground: Up Close and Personal
Doug Mitchell, MPA, Lt. (Ret. FDNY)

The dramatic images of September 11th, 2001 were powerful, terrifying, violating, and horrifying.  The world was left disbelieving, shocked, horrified and outraged.  Emergency service providers were dramatically affected by this unprecedented attack.  Lessons learned about innovative interventions for the emergency service community as well as first hand accounts of on-scene activity will be presented.  A unique video of Ground Zero and gripping emergency service survival stories will be related.
 

11:00am – 11:45am
CISM: A Review of the Findings, 1998-2002
Raymond Flannery, Jr., PhD

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is an integrated, comprehensive, multi-component crisis intervention approach for addressing the psychological aftermath associated with critical incidents, emerging as the international standard of care. Presentation summarizes the published CISM findings since 1997, the date of the first such review. Various types of program settings, victims, and CISM interventions from 20 studies will be assessed. Additional meta-analytic and sufficiency analyses will be presented.
 

11:45am – 12:30pm
Keynote Presentation
Worlds at War, Minds at Peace: Recapturing Control of Your Life
James T. Reese, PhD

September 11, 2001 gave a new meaning to ‘911’. It was more than a date; it was an emergency mentality that was awakened in each of us. We have learned first-hand of critical incident stress and the dangers of post traumatic stress disorder. Traumatic events attack our minds and break through our defenses. Such events have the potential to significantly disrupt one’s life, resulting in personality changes and/or physical and emotional illness. We, as a nation and as individuals, search in vain for a culprit. We find ourselves out of control, depressed, frustrated, and unhappy. Discussing traumatic events is normal; however, too much discussion leads to preoccupation and reduced productivity. We must understand critical incident stress, its onset and the affect it has upon each of us. Recapturing control of life is an individual act, not a group process. Our control is a result of our choices. Have you chosen to stay bitter, or get better? One must ask, “Will I be a survivor, or merely survive?” This keynote addresses the past, the present, and your future.

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2003
8:00am – 12:30pm

8:00am – 8:45am
Stress Management for Naval Personnel at the Pentagon
John S. Kennedy, MD

Stress management teams from the three DC-area military hospitals converged on the Pentagon in the wake of the 9/11 attack.  Bethesda Naval Hospital's SPRINT team established liaison with senior Navy leadership and over the ensuing three weeks made approximately 1700 contacts using a variety of CISM modalities.  Crafting interventions required careful liaison with the many affected organizations and respect for the intense military planning effort underway within hours of the attack.
 

8:45am – 9:30am
9/11 Survival: An Adaptation of the CMB in Response to Mass Disaster
Cherie Castellano, MA, CSN, LPC

Describes an effective adaptation of the Crisis Management Briefing (CMB) for law enforcement, accomplished by facilitating effective crisis intervention strategies in response to mass disasters. Stresses the uniqueness of the law enforcement community as a special population and offers CISM providers a strong framework for dealing with this population when responding to disasters.
 

9:30am – 10:00am
Coping of American Airlines' Flight Attendants Since 9/11
Jeffrey Lating, PhD

American Airlines crews were on flights 11 and 77 that crashed into the World Trade Centers on 9/11, as well as flight 587 that crashed on 11/12/01 shortly after takeoff from JFK airport killing all on board. Presenter shares the results of a survey mailed to all AA flight attendants in June 2002, in cooperation with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA).  The survey assessed symptoms of PTSD, physical and emotional well being, and crisis intervention availability and outcome for this highly unique sample of providers in the wake of 9/11 and beyond.
 

10:30am – 11:15am
An Accident, an Act of Terrorism and a Miracle
Richard T. Boland

Focuses on the variations of use of CISM during three major events, the crashes of US Airways Flight 427 and United Flight 93, and the Quecreek Mine incident. These three major events in southwestern Pennsylvania were within the response area of the Pittsburgh CISM Team. The presentation will address the similarities and differences of each event and the cooperation of most of the teams in Pennsylvania and ICISF.
 

11:15am – 12:00pm
The American Red Cross - Post 9/11 Development of Service Delivery
Margaret Pepe

The American Red Cross had undergone significant organization changes since the tragic events of 9/11occurred. These developments impact the service delivery system nationwide and require volunteer mental health professionals to view themselves differently as they become part of the strategic services team concept as well as provide particular clinical skills.  Other subjects include the revision of the Disaster Mental Health Services basic training course, and research undertaken and proposed.
 

12:00pm – 12:30pm
Early Intervention: A Review of Best Practices
George S. Everly, Jr., PhD, FAPM, CTS

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, greater attention has been focused on early psychological intervention. Numerous organizations and governmental agencies have initiated systematic reviews of “best practices” within the domain of early psychological intervention. This presentation will review the state of the art with regard to these best practices recommendations.

 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2003
8:00am – 12:45pm

8:00am – 8:45am
How POPPA Met the Challenges of the 9/11 World Trade Center Attack
Bill Genet, CEAP, Gene Moynihan, CSW, Frank G. Dowling, MD, Rich Levenson, PsyD

Police work is complicated by PTSD and stress related problems. Officers are reluctant to seek assistance.  POPPA is a unique, confidential, voluntary, non-departmental peer assistance program for the NYPD. POPPA's usage of CISM, integrating numerous teams from around the country, its effectiveness, adaptation in response to the WTC Disaster, lessons learned, and future directions will be discussed.
 

8:45am – 9:15am
CERN-A Missing Link in Community Preparedness
Richard M. Krieg, PhD

Howard County, Maryland is located in located in close proximity to many potential terrorist targets.  In order to build community resilience, a Community Emergency Response Network (CERN) was formed in 2001. Its structure, goals and components will be described.
 

9:15am – 10:00am
Critical Incident Workshops in Response to the Oklahoma City Bombing
Kathy H. Thomas, PhD, James M. Horn, MFS

The bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 altered the magnitude of “critical incidents” in our country. In response to that event, Critical Incident Workshops were developed to help alleviate the emotional and mental devastation of those affected.  Describes in detail the unique use of the CISM components within the four-day format of the workshop, as well as some informal data to support its use.
 

10:30am – 11:15am
9-11 The FDNY Firefighter Support Coalition: An Historic CISM Effort
Francis X. Gunn, ofm, CSW, CTS, Robert Scott, PhD, CTS, Joseph Krebbs, MEd, John “Spike” Lawless

On 9/11/01, 343 firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) were listed among the dead and missing. This presentation outlines the historic crisis intervention efforts of the ‘Firefighters Support Coalition.’ Composed of hundreds of personnel from fire departments and support organizations as far away as California and Arizona, this presentation will describe the monumental efforts to provide psychological, spiritual, and peer support to the thousands of employees and families of the FDNY.
 

11:15am – 11:45am
CISM in Israel, Theory and Results
Alan Cohen, MSc

Focuses on the latest research on CISM in practice in Israel. CISM programs have been heavily implemented in the past two years in Israel, and the CSPC has been at the forefront of CISM in Israel. Based on the technique of Mitchell and Everly, the CISM protocol has been adapted for the Israeli situation - large scale terrorist incidents in which many previously unrelated and unconnected people find them themselves sudden victims.
 

11:45am – 12:15pm
Target Goals & Interventions for PTSD: From Trauma to the Abyss Experience
John P. Wilson, PhD

Presentation will describe the universal nature of the Abyss Experience as a part of catastrophically stressful life encounters. The Abyss represents the darkest and most profound of traumatic experience which produces transformation in the self and world view.
 

12:15pm – 12:45pm
Where Do We Go From Here: Future Directions for Emergency Mental Health
George S. Everly, Jr., PhD, FAPM, CTS, Jeffrey T. Mitchell, PhD, CTS

Recap of the hallmarks of the last two years for the fields of Crisis Intervention and Emergency Mental Health with a look toward the future.