15 Sep 2001 - Dr. Laura Barbanel

Thank you to those of you who have asked about the state of things in NY after this terrible tragedy. From my home and office in Brooklyn Heights, I could smell the smell and feel the soot and debris in the streets. My email was unavailable for 24 hours, and is variable at this point. When I opened my email after 24 hours I had scores of messages of concern that were very touching. The situation is grim, and as some have said on this list and elsewhere, the result of an act of pure evil. The sadness and grief surrounding this tragedy are enormous. The acts of kindness and generosity that one sees demonstrates a nobility of the human spirit that is, on the other hand,life affirming. The simple bravery of people working on the front line and the numbers of people who have volunteered to help, is quite amazing. Among them have been many psychologists who have come out in large numbers to work at whatever jobs were available. There is a spirit in the streets that one rarely sees in NYC; alongside of shock and disbelief is gentleness and kindness. People have even been polite on the road! In my own work, I have sat with students who have husbands and brothers who are firefighters in the area, teachers in schools that have children whose parents are missing.We have yet to know the extend of the loss and the PTSD. Each of us has been affected in countless ways. The concern of others is heartwarming. Laura

Laura Barbanel, Ed.D. ABPP
Member Board of Directors American Psychological Association
Program Head Graduate Program School Psychology
Brooklyn College

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