Surviving 9/11: Impact and Experiences of Occupational Therapy Practitioners

by Pat Precin

Overview

The first in-depth look of the effects of September 11 on occupational therapy!

Surviving 9/11: Impact and Experiences of Occupational Therapy Practitioners is a collection of firsthand accounts from occupational therapy providers and their clients. This book reveals the thoughts and fears of occupational therapists who had to help heal their patients while suffering emotional and psychological stress themselves. This volume shows how occupational therapy practitioners dealt with the aftermath using group discussions, planned events, and creative projects to heal themselves as well as their clients.

Surviving 9/11 demonstrates the importance of therapeutic treatment for all types of victims of the attacks, from survivors to television observers. It discusses how distinct each client’s needs arefrom the survivor in the hospital bed to the firefighter endlessly searching for his lost brothers. This book will also show you the importance of changing therapeutic styles during the lengthy coping process to adapt to the changing needs of the client.

This enlightening text is divided into three parts:

• September 11th Day Onepersonal and professional accounts of the day of the disaster from occupational therapists in and around the city and around the worldwith a special narrative from a 9/11 survivor who received occupational therapy
• Ground Zero Milieuthe experiences in and around Ground Zero following the attack, including occupational therapists at the rescue and recovery site, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Project Liberty program, and the development of the Downtown Therapists Assistance Project to help occupational and physical therapists whose businesses were irrecoverable after September 11
• Spiritualitythe new challenges to occupational therapy in mental health in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorderthroughout the general population and in the mental health community

Surviving 9/11 is a unique blend of personal and professional perspectives designed to help you get in touch with your feelings and thoughts about what happened on September 11. More importantly, this easy-to-read book can help you prepare for future disasters, whether you are a healthcare professional, a disabled person, a survivor, or someone who is otherwise affected. With illustrations, memorial designs, and photos of the tragedy and its aftermath, this book is a must-read in this age of uncertainty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317718604
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	02/25/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	222
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Pat Precin

Table of Contents

• About the Contributors
  
• Foreword
  
• Introduction: Surviving 9/11: Impact and Experiences of Occupational Therapy Practitioners
  
• SEPTEMBER 11TH DAY ONE: PHOTOS
  
• PART I: SEPTEMBER 11TH DAY ONE
  
• From the 103rd Floor
  
• Disabled and Experiencing Disaster: Personal and Professional Accounts
  
• Being There
  
• 9/11: A Muslim Occupational Therapy Student’s Perspective
  
• Personal Perspective on 9/11
  
• September Twelfth: An American Away from Home
  
• PART II: GROUND ZERO MILIEU
  
• Ground Zero Needs Assessment
  
• Biography of a Ground Zero Firefighter
  
• The K-9 Unit
  
• The Downtown Therapists Assistance Project
  
• Coping with Tragedy: A Fieldwork Student’s Experience with FEMA Crisis Counseling
  
• Coping with the Trauma of 9/11
  
• PART III: SPIRITUALITY
  
• Spiritual Spontaneity: Developing Our Own 9/11: One Occupational Therapist’s Spiritual Journey Across the 9/11 Divide
  
• Index
  
• Reference Notes Included
  

What People are Saying About This

Barbara L. Kornblau

"I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK to anyone who experienced the pain of 9/11-to whatever degree. It SHOWS THE TRUE MEANING OF OCCUPATION AND PARTICIPATION FOLLOWING TRAGEDY by telling the stories of survivors, rescuers, OT practitioners, and volunteers. The many compelling stories in this book convey the powerful message that individuals and communities recover from such monumental loss 'through engagement, [in] one meaningful activity at a time.' This book is a healing work. As a family member of a victim of 9/11, I read each chapter with my tissues in hand and felt comforted by the shared stories. We have so much to learn from the experiences of others in the face of such an unimaginable tragedy, and how engagement and participation can help us all heal."
—JD, OT/L, FAOTA, DAAPM, CCM, President, American Occupational Therapy Association; Professor, Occupational Therapy, Law & Public Health, Nova Southeastern University

Suzanne White

"This book IMPARTS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING TECHNIQUES, PTSD, SPIRITUALITY, COPING, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE HUMAN BOND THAT IS CREATED BY THE OT CLINICIAN AND HER CLIENTS. The book's authors show what outstanding clinicians they are, whether the people they are helping are patients, students, neighbors, colleagues, friends, or strangers. As a person who lives three blocks from ground zero, 9/11 is a real felt event. 9/11 forever changed our world, our country, my city, and my life. Reading this book brought back the memories of that time, both the trauma and the community pride associated with recovery from an unthinkable crisis."
—OTR, MA, Clinical Assistant Professor, OT Program, SUNY Downstate Medical Center