The Impact of September 11 on Psychologists

A variety of recent research studies have investigated the psychological impact on victims of the devastating events of September 11, 2001. The present study adopted a different approach, instead focusing on the experience of caregivers through a brief survey of state psychological association members. Overall, practitioners described modest but significant changes in both their professional work and their personal lives. Not surprisingly, those respondents working closest to Ground Zero reported the greatest changes. The sample also reported more positive than negative feelings regarding their work in the post-9/11 environment. Although the survey return rate was only 15%, the findings shed light on several important professional issues related to disaster relief, including service utilization, preparedness, and vicarious traumatization. An entire nation was stunned by the destruction of life and property brought on by the crashing of four passenger airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and a field outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Ultimately, over 3,000 lives were lost and countless others were forever changed in both obvious and immeasurable ways. Th