wfn.org | CWS Interfaith Trauma Counseling Still Going One Year After 9/11

["Church World Service News" <nccc_usa@ncccusa.org>]

CWS9/4/02FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE INTERFAITH TRAUMA COUNSELING
STILL GOING ONE YEAR AFTER 9/11

Trauma Response Training Program Expands in U.S., Abroad

NEW YORK, NY - 9/3/02 -  As people in the United States prepare for the
first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Church World
Service continues its recovery work in responding to the disaster, with
special emphasis on spiritual care, particularly to clergy and other
caregivers coping with the September 11 crisis and its aftermath.

A year into the recovery, religious leaders and caregivers are finding their
jobs are still daunting. Indeed, for many spiritual leaders throughout New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania,
understanding the nature and scope of public trauma, the faith responses to
trauma, and preparing themselves and their congregations to respond to the
pastoral needs of their communities have sometimes seemed like an
insurmountable calling.

That is why CWS has made pastoral and spiritual care a cornerstone of its
immediate and long-term response to September 11.

"As a faith-based humanitarian aid organization, spiritual and emotional
care support has always been one of many parts of our emergency response to
domestic crisis," said Rick Augsburger, director of CWS's Emergency Response
Program. "For the first time, the events of September 11 made the provision
of spiritual and emotional care the priority focus of our response.  New
programming efforts were required to support the capacity of the faith
community and ensure that spiritual and emotional care continues for the
long term.

"When you have an event, such as September 11, that traumatizes so widely,
tremendous resources and efforts are required to provide spiritual and
emotional support.  This is a capacity that the faith community has and
stands ready to provide in the wake of September 11 and in response to
disasters of all kinds," Augsburger said.

Two days after the terrorist attack, Church World Service mobilized its
first Interfaith Crisis Counseling teams to New York. These teams were
requested to provide emotional and spiritual
care, as well as critical incident stress debriefing to traumatized
individuals and to emergency rescue personnel. The teams addressed immediate
needs and also served as the first step for CWSs provision of long-term
recovery services and direct interfaith response to caregivers and those
affected in the New York community.

Since February, more than 100 pastors and other caregivers from the New York
City and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas have participated in five-day
training programs - the monthly Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Recovery
(STAR) co-sponsored by CWS and the Conflict Transformation Program of
Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Another 300
clergy and caregivers have participated in 21 trainings as part of CWS's
Interfaith Trauma Response Program (ITRP), held throughout the New York City
metropolitan area and in Washington, D.C. Those trainings have been held
since October 2001.

The Interfaith Trauma Response Program (ITRP) is helping equip religious
leaders and caregivers with insight into addressing the psychological and
theological impact of large-scale public trauma.  The Seminars on Trauma
Awareness & Recovery (STAR) build upon the work of the Interfaith Trauma
Response trainings, with special focus on the deeper and broader issues of
justice, reconciliation and peace-building in relationship to events of
trauma. It equips them with practical tools to apply in their congregations
and communities.  Both programs will continue well into 2003.

Other programs that CWS is supporting in the wake of September 11 are:

Providing funding for interfaith development and direct assistance programs
to the New York Interfaith Disaster Response Initiative; the New Jersey
Interfaith Disaster Recovery Partnership; Long Island Council of Churches
Disaster Taskforce; and the Greater Washington D.C. Council of Churches
Disaster Response Program. In addition, community service organizations in
New York and Washington, D.C., with particular programs to assist those with
special needs, have received grants from CWS.

Supporting the faith community in New Jersey, New York, and Washington,
D.C., in seeking resources for those whose needs are beyond other agency
programs.  Many churches and community organizations have seen a substantial
increase in families needing assistance with housing, food, utilities,
medical, and transportation.  In addition, they have also provided advocacy
and spiritual and emotional care/counseling. CWS has hosted a series of
monthly meetings that have become a venue for faith-based sharing around
issues common to their constituency, revelation of emerging concerns,
passing on new information, and visioning new ministry options.

The development of a team of professionally credentialed and experienced
pastoral care-givers and critical incident stress debriefers as a resource
for September 11 recovery and in preparation for responding to future
large-scale traumatic events.

In addition, CWS has co-sponsored a series of interactive web-casts
co-sponsored by faithandvalues.com that have dealt with such topics as:
"Hearing the Muslim Community: Preparing for Interfaith Disaster Response";
"Tragedy and Spiritual Care"; "Patriotism and Peace";  "Heroism and
Risk-Taking"; and "Grief and Recovery."

The discussion forums have featured panels of faith leaders, scholars,
professional counselors, and journalists, with interactive participation by
congregations and pastoral leadership groups worldwide. The web-casts can be
viewed at www.faithandvalues.com

For more information about Church World Service and its trauma recovery
work, visit www.churchworldservice.org

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CONTACT:	CWS/Ronda Hughes, (800) 297-1516 and Jan Dragin, (781) 925-1526