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Mental health counselors to help survivors of Fort Hood shooting cope
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Military soldiers are trained to handle a crisis - to respond and take care of the threat. They are physically and mentally prepared to handle any situation.
Still, counselors say, once the job is done they are no different from anyone else.
Several mental health counselors with the U.S. Army responded to Fort Hood, a day after the worst mass shooting ever at a military base. They are there to help survivors cope with the range of emotions that come after being involved in a traumatic incident.
And to deal with being shot by one of their own.
An Army psychiatrist facing deployment to one of America’s war zones is accused of killing 13 people and wounding 38 others on Thursday in a shooting rampage with two handguns at the Fort Hood Army post in central Texas, military officials said.
The gunman, who was in stable condition, was identified by law enforcement authorities as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, who had been in the service since 1995, according to the New York Times.
As federal officials work to determine the motive behind the shootings, the survivors are left to grapple with something they perhaps never thought would happen. At least, not on their base.
"They are prepared, but when it happens it surprises them," said Mr. Andy Gruler, a South Carolina therapist who also does clinical social work. "Usually if it happens, it's not going to happen here. It will happen at another base."
Mr. Gruler, a former secret service agent, has counseled numerous officers involved in a crisis. He was there a day after the Oklahoma bombing, 9-11 and the shooting at Virginia Tech.
He is used to seeing the range of emotions that comes after a traumatic incident, and although he has not been called to Fort Hood, he already knows the questions survivors will ask.
Most of the victims at the Fort Hood shoooting were military personnel, two were civilians, officials said.
"The reactions are the same," Mr. Gruler said. "They will have little to no reaction to really severe reactions such as post traumatic stress disorder."
Some are going to be in shock, some fearful and depressed and others are going to be angry. Still, Mr. Gruler said, a lot of them won't have any reaction at all.
Dr. Larry Bergmann, director of Post Trauma Resources in Columbia, agrees.
"Most people are going to be O.K., but there are some who are going to need that psychological first aid," said Mr. Bergmann who for 30 years has counseled trauma survivors. "About 10 to 20 percent stands a chance of developing more serious psychological problems."
They are the ones who will have trouble sleeping weeks later. They will become increasingly withdrawn and hyper vigilant, fearing for their safety and the safety of their families. They will become short tempered, insecure and some may turn to an excessive use of alcohol to cope.
Still, there are many factors that will determine if these soldiers will do well or not.
"Some have already been exposed to violence or they are trained to be exposed to violence," Mr. Bergmann said. "Some people are going to be more resilient because of the training, some are going to be more vulnerable."
And as the survivors start looking at the incident, the questions they will ask are usually the same.
"They are the pretty standard questions people ask after experiencing a trauma," Mr. Gruler said.
How could it happen?
Why did it happen?
What did we do wrong?
The counselors will reassure them in groups are one-on-one, helping them to think logically, Mr. Gruler said. Then, there will be that last question.
What can we do to prevent it from happening again?
The answer may not be what they want to hear.
"Nothing, not in our society," he said. "You can try to prepare for it, but you can't stop it."
And their response, "Eventually, they come to accept it," Mr. Gruler said.
To see the prior story on this topic go to: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-18216-Columbia-Crime-Examiner~y2009m11d6-Fort-Jackson-increases-security-after-one-of-the-worst-mass-shooting-ever-at-a-military-base
