Crisis therapist, Dr. Elizabeth Stanczak, talks about dealing with grief, dealing with loss, depression and feeling depressed, in light of the attack on the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon.

David is the HealthyPlace.com moderator.

The people in blue are audience members.

David: Good Evening. I'm David Roberts. I'm the moderator for tonight's conference. I want to welcome everyone to HealthyPlace.com. I'm glad you had the opportunity to join us, especially under these difficult circumstances. These last few days have been traumatic for everyone.

Our topic tonight is "Coping with the Psychological Impact of the Attack on the U.S.." Our guest is trauma psychologist, Elizabeth Stanczak Ph.D., who is the Clinical Manager of Assured Behavioral Health in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Stanczak has been a member of a Critical Incident Team and has expertise in critical incident therapy (crisis therapy).

First though, I want to make a couple of comments. Everyone here at HealthyPlace.com hopes that you, your family members and friends are safe. This is an enormous, and for many, an unexpected tragedy. We have our trained support group hosts on the site to help those who are having difficulty coping. They have done a wonderful job and have volunteered their time beyond anyone's expectations. It's really appreciated.

On our homepage: http://www.healthyplace.com we have a lot of information to help you cope. On the left-hand side of the page, there are videos and articles on loss and grief. While some may not pertain to your exact situation, the information contained there will apply to what's going on now. On the right-side of our homepage, under the heading "Daily News," you can read articles on the psychological aspects of dealing with the attack. As the horror of this event and the human aspects of the tragedy begin to settle in, some of you may feel depression beginning to takes its grasp. We have a lot of information on depression and how to cope with it in the HealthyPlace.com Depression Community. On the left side of the page, look through the sites, depression conference transcripts and online depression journals, diaries.

Good evening, Dr. Stanczak, and welcome to HealthyPlace.com. Today was a special day for me because for the first time I began to feel the emotional impact of what has happened. On Tuesday, I was amazed and caught up in the unbelievability of the attack on the United States and the images of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City and watching the building crumble to the ground. It was surreal to me.

As the story progressed on TV today, I began to see and hear stories from people searching for their relatives and friends. One man on Good Morning America, told the story of how he and his wife were very close and how they would see each other off at the airport when they would fly on separate business trips. After saying goodbye to his wife at the airport in Boston on Tuesday morning, he went to work and later, to his horror, would discover his wife was on the plane that crashed into one of the towers. It was a very sad story. Diane Sawyer, the anchor on Good Morning America, was crying and I was in tears. My heart has been heavy all day. So the first question is -- is this normal?

Dr Stanczak: Good evening, and thank you for having me. First, I must say that I am not a "trauma psychologist". I am, however, a psychologist with training in crisis intervention.

Yes, it sounds very normal and healthy to me.

David: How would you recommend that most of us handle these feelings that we have right now?

Dr Stanczak: I think we must first remember that we are all different. Some of us may find solace talking with friends and family and some of us may need to seek assistance from mental health professionals.

David: How do you know when it's time to get professional help? I ask this because this could be a long, drawn out event, especially if we start retaliating militarily?

Dr Stanczak: If you start having thoughts or moods that interfere with your daytime functioning, problems sleeping that interfere with daytime functioning or problems interacting with close family members or friends, you might want to consider seeking help.

David: This being a mental health site, I'm wondering if extreme emotional events like this can produce stronger reactions in individuals who are already dealing with psychological issues like abuse, depression, self-injury, etc.?

Dr Stanczak: Most people do quite well when given the opportunity to grieve and will not need professional assistance. We tend to underestimate just how healthy and strong people really are and how much stress they can effectively handle. However, there will be certain cases where this additional stress will compound existing problems. Very few people will be involved in self-destructive behaviors, but many may feel overwhelmed by the additional stressors. In these cases, the individual should probably consult with a mental health professional.

David: What is your opinion about constantly staying tuned to the TV or radio for the "latest" events or constantly watching traumatic scenes repetitively?

Dr Stanczak: Returning to a more normal routine is very important, however, it is human nature to be curious and to seek additional information. There is nothing wrong with being transfixed with the events as they occur, just as we were transfixed by the lunar landings.

David: One other question, what about our children? Should we let them watch everything on TV and how should we explain this to them, if at all, in your opinion?

Dr Stanczak: It is very important that the parents explain these events. In fact, it would be preferable to having them watch the TV. It is also important, to redirect the child to any positive aspect that can be identified, such as: focusing on the heroes who are searching through the rubble, or the victims successfully rescued. It might also help to have the child write a letter to either President Bush, the heroes involved, or even the group or groups that perpetrated this horrible act.

The important thing is to have the child express his or her feelings. Also, get them back into their normal routines as quickly as possible. They need to know what to expect in their day. Also, assure them that they are secure.