Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 03/01) - The emotions triggered by tragic events can devastate even the professionals who respond to it.

Little wonder then, considering the magnitude of this month's terrorist attacks in the U.S., that crisis workers have been in high demand since Sept. 11.

Shortly after the attacks, an urgent call went out all across North America for crisis workers to help those on the frontlines -- firefighters, police officer, emergency workers and civilians trapped at the scene -- cope with the destruction and enormous loss of life that took place right before their eyes.

Even thousands of kilometres away, Yellowknife's crisis management team would not go unnoticed.

"We got a call the day after the incident from ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) in Baltimore," recalls Barbara Hoddinott, the NWT's only accredited crisis management instructor.

"They were informing us that they were putting a team together and that we would be on standby for the next year."

Hoddinott heads a group of 25 Yellowknife-based volunteers trained in the process of debriefing those who have experienced first-hand a traumatic and potentially psychologically and emotionally debilitating event.

Both locally and internationally, the 25-member NWT critical incident stress management team, as it is called, is now conducting a recruitment drive.

"It's been extremely busy all summer, there's been a number of incidents across the North," says Hoddinott. Citing the need for confidentiality, she won't delve into specific cases.

The team was formed after Yellowknife was forced to confront its own case of mass murder -- the death of nine miners killed in a deliberately set underground explosion at Giant Mine in 1992.

According to Hoddinott, debriefing sessions take place as soon as 24 hours after an event, usually with a team of three for every 20 exposed victims.

"What we give them is the opportunity to allow them to talk about the emotional and cognitive effect of the incident in a safe and confidential environment," says Hoddinott.

The debriefing process is not actual therapy, she says, but a "psycho-educational process" that could have a therapeutic outcome.

"If you're still bummed out after a debriefing I might take you aside and recommend a counsellor or therapist to follow up with on a ongoing basis," says Hoddinott.

Training sessions will run Oct. 27 and 28 for those interesting in joining the team.