Psychologist treats the wounds of 9-11

BRAVE SOUL--Dr. Robert Scott, a Calabasas stress management counselor, arrives at the scene of the Sept.11 disaster.

America’s heartbeat stopped on Sept. 11, but thanks to the enormous contributions of people and organizations around the world, the wounds of New York City are slowly healing.

Calabasas resident Robert Scott, a doctor who specializes in stress management, traveled to Ground Zero to offer psychological support for the families and victims of the World Trade Center attack.

The 51-year-old Scott directed a unit known as the Los Angeles Fire Department Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team as it departed for New York on Sept. 14.

The 20-member group of psychologists, counselors and chaplains provided emotional support to the Fire Department of New York and other emergency teams responding to the terrorist attacks.

In all, more than 100 emergency personnel from Los Angeles contributed to the disaster relief. When the 70-member Los Angeles Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue Team departed Sept. 11, CISM wasn’t far behind.

"You have to be ready within four to five hours on a plane and in the air to anywhere in the nation or in the world," said Scott, whose years of experience in crisis counseling weren’t nearly enough to prepare him for what he was about to face.

Scott’ s proving grounds had been the floods, riots and earthquakes of California. His expert commentary could be heard on ABC’s Nightline, CBS Evening News, the NBC Today Show and CNN News. He also received frequent requests for national and international training seminars and lectured throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

New York, however, presented a far greater challenge.

"I’ve been in practice for over 20 years and I’ve never seen pain and suffering at that level," said Scott, who was invited to tell his story last week at a meeting of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce.

Scott served as mental health advisor to the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross from 1991 to 2000.

Upon arriving in New York, the CISM team heard that more than 5,000 people were dead from the disaster, including more than 300 emergency personnel—numbers that have since been revised downward.

"Our main purpose of being there was to be there in case somebody cracked, and in case the stress became so overwhelming that they needed to talk," Scott said.

First, he wanted to make sure he was not intruding. "We wanted to be invited. When you show up and you’re not properly trained, all you do is clog up the system and do more harm than good … They were very protective of their firefighters and very leery of what we could do."

Quickly though, he found how much he and his team were needed.

"When 9-11 happened we knew we would get called from the get-go," said Scott, yet he wondered, "What could so few people do for so many hurting souls? … This is 19 acres of destruction. You’re really walking on hallowed ground."

Scott discovered the New York firefighters already had a crisis management team in place, consoling the hundreds of exhausted rescue workers and scores of people looking for their lost loved ones.

Overcoming a web of "political, organizational and territorial" obstacles, Scott said his team finally gained permission to participate in the rescue and began setting up counseling sites throughout the area.

His private journal entry on Sept. 17 read as follows:

After being scrutinized at multiple checkpoints by armed military and police, we’re allowed to park our van and we begin our journey into the heart of destruction. Masses of workers move toward the bright lights ahead. Firefighters, police, Port Authority, steelworkers, heavy machinery operators, Red Cross workers, hundreds of disaster workers move toward the entrance. It looks like something out of a war movie, soldiers massing for battle, but instead of carrying rifles and weapons of war, the workers are carrying shovels and rescue supplies.

Mere words and pictures from Sept. 11 cannot describe the devastation that continues to smolder in the national psyche. Mothers digging for lost children, sisters looking for brothers—Scott said the scene was abysmal.

He and his peers conducted discussion groups, offered family counseling, provided spiritual support and met one-on-one with individuals scarred by what they had witnessed.

After days of practically nonstop work, the CISM members took time to reflect. The locals congratulated the Los Angeles team on a job well done.

"We’d be sitting at a meal and people would start applauding," he said. "It just broke your heart ... In the midst of all the pain and suffering that I encountered, I will never forget the strength, courage, compassion, resilience and fortitude of the people of New York."

Are there lessons to be learned?

Many, according to Scott.

First of all, be prepared for any and all emergencies.

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail," he said. "Stay connected to your [local] disaster team."

Scott congratulated members of the Calabasas Citizens Emergency Response Program (CERP)—a group of local volunteers—for their efforts in disaster preparedness.

"It’s comforting to know we have a group in this city that is very proactive," he said.

Several CERP members were in attendance during Scott’s chamber of commerce presentation.