Adele M. Stan, who writes from Washington, DC., is one of a few bloggers who recently provided a first-hand account from a clinical psychologist working as a volunteer with evacuees in the Dallas Reunion Arena and the Dallas Civic Center.
There are so many words that come to mind. As a scholar I am thinking Diaspora, social displacement, systemic disruption, mass trauma, pandemic and unbelievable chaos. As a clinician, I am looking at something that we have never been trained to handle in this country--a level of victimization and its resultant psychosocial ripples that mandate a whole new field of clinical practice-mass victimology.
Entitled,
Cri du coeur: A volunteer psychologist's account of evacuee conditions in Dallas, I don't even know how to put into words how truly moving and critical this account is. I found myself glued to the page despite the heaviness of heart and morose mood that resulted.
I don't even know how to put into words just how truly moving and critical this account is. I found myself glued to the page despite the heaviness of heart and morose mood that resulted.
While I may be somewhat biased due to my own background in the fields of family therapy and school psychology, I do not believe anyone of conscience would fail to understand its importance. Unfortunately, the extent of the coverage as to psychological trauma and victimization as been relegated to Dr. Phil. And, please do not ask me to comment on his clinical skills (even though to my delight, the psychologist in her piece masterfully does bring up this very topic).
Do I believe that Bush & Co. is trying to make it such that NOLA will be rebuilt in a homogenized Disneyland facsimile? And, do I believe that this will involve removing family ties such that its most unique folks, who have evolved from such a grand mixture of ethnicities, will be unable to return? And, finally, am I fearful that this psychologist's elegantly worded account and aspect of the entire Katrina tragedy will be lost in the tidal wave of all the other atrocities that we have been witnessing?
Yes. Yes. Yes. So, please help to get this message out. Anyone of conscience, and that would obviously be the hundreds of thousands of folks that grace these pages, needs to digest this psychologist's piece. It is just too important not to experience.
And, please do send the appropriate links to persons in the media at CNN, MSNBC, NYT, etc. This part of the story is just not being told to the press in its entirety, even though there has been some grumbling about displacing folks all over the country. I would certainly love to see this intelligent, empathic and highly intuitive professor interviewed. She, rather than Dr. Phil, has the deeper insight into the bigger picture here. And, she needs to share it with one and all.
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Update [2005-9-11 11:45:18 by schoolpsyc]: I have just learned the name of the person who shared this brilliant article, for the yet un-named psychologist. Her name is Dr. Anne Gervasi, and she can reached at:
agervasi[at]sbcglobal[dot]net
gervasi[at]dal[dot]devry[dot]edu
Euless, TX 76039