Terrorism, Trauma, and Business Resumption Planning

"You don't just watch 3,000 people be murdered and then go back to work."

- Spoken by a manager heading a New York City company in a recent television magazine report, as he and his organization faced the tremendous challenges ahead.

The events of September 11th have dramatically expanded employers' awareness of how they may need to face grief and trauma - not only on a deeply personal and collegial level, but as these experiences relate to immediate and longer-term business recovery.  American industry and the symbols of our economic power were specific targets of the attacks.  Never has there been such a large scale "survivor pool", thousands of individuals suffering shocking impact, millions concerned about security and the future.

WTS provides two services for employers to combat the emotional toll of terrorism on managers and employees.

Crisis Intervention and Trauma Debriefing in the immediate aftermath of acts of terrorism.  This includes:

This is a traditional service of WTS which remains available with its extended network of consultant-interveners.

Trauma Management Planning, Training and Consultation for disaster preparedness and business resumption teams and managers.  Following the events of September 11th, WTS revised and expanded its violence and disaster preparedness trauma training to meet this increased interest and need.

This service is intended for any managers and responders concerned with being better prepared for the unique challenges presented by widespread workplace victimization likely in the aftermath of acts of terror.

Attendees may include disaster and business resumption planning committees, safety managers, in-house emergency medical response teams, security, legal, and human resource managers, EAP counselors, and line managers tasked with "moving on" in the aftermath of terrorist or similar violent attacks.

The goal is not to train managers to be therapists, but to empower attendees with the knowledge and tools for creating an improved "recovery environment" in a post-attack workplace, and to avoid common mistakes.

The skills and understanding offered in this training are designed to help attendees overcome the sense of helplessness and isolation in victims which are the core experiences of psychological trauma.  In addition, there are stage-specific expectable behaviors and needs to anticipate as individuals and workgroups continue to recover.

Relevant to these considerations are the following three facts:

The extent of emotional harm caused by traumatic events is significantly influenced by how victims are responded to by others in the aftermath.  Trauma can be made worse by the responses of various "helpers", whatever their good intentions or other personal or work-related pressures.  This applies not only to professional providers of therapy and other care, but to those who know and interact with victims daily - managers, friends, family members, and agencies.  In spite of the natural and considerable outpouring of concern and care shown for those affected by violence and terror, avoidable mistakes are often made.

Trauma education and management principles are insufficiently addressed in most corporate business recovery plans.  Although many businesses have well-developed disaster and emergency response plans, existing approaches typically address technical and business function related demands, emergency communications, and medical and rescue procedures.  Many organizations have arrangements for "employee assistance" providers (EAPs) to offer trauma intervention in the aftermath of these serious incidents.  What is less common is the inclusion and integration, in pre-incident planning and education, of trauma-informed principles into overall business recovery efforts, and particularly beyond the initial acute stage of impact.

The more you know before the crisis occurs, the more control you'll have during the chaos of the event.  A disaster is a disaster for everyone involved.  Prior knowledge of what people experience and how they may be expected to behave, immediately and as the trauma unfolds in the aftermath, will improve the crisis response capabilities of an organization.  In addition, responders will better prepare themselves personally for the heavy demands and victim emotional intensity they will encounter in a large scale crisis.

WTS's trauma management training draws on the lengthy and diverse experience of its staff consultants, as well as other associates and colleagues who are pooling their knowledge toward this effort.  Training and consultation are tailored to meet clients' particular needs, structure, and exposures.  Detailed discussions of client circumstances and background features are necessary prior to training to maximize effectiveness and content relevance. Co-presentations by client disaster preparedness team members and other stakeholders are appropriate and encouraged.  Case examples and vignettes are used to illustrate points and enhance learning.

Among the topics which may be included in training and workshops are the following:

Dr. Stephen White is the team leader for these services. Please contact him at WTS for further questions or inquiries.