News Releases

(Courtesy: Michael Dagley)
Dr. Greene at the book launch in the New York City Fire Museum.

New Rochelle, NY – Paul Greene, PhD, associate professor and chair of Iona’s psychology department, has co-authored “FDNY Crisis Counseling: Innovative Responses to 9/11 Firefighters, Families, and Communities” (John Wiley & Sons; April 2006; $45). A clinical psychologist by training and practicing psychotherapist for 25 years, he has been a member of the New York State Psychological Association Disaster Response Network since its inception in 1991. He was also a Firehouse Clinician for the Counseling Services Unit of the FDNY.

September 11, 2001 represented a day of national trauma for all Americans. Just over 100 firefighters die in the line of duty during a typical year in the United States. But on that one-day in New York, 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lives were lost in this barbaric act of terrorism.  As a result of non-stop media coverage and memorial services, nowhere was the trauma more raw—or the challenges of healing more difficult—than among the members of the FDNY and their families. As the surviving firefighters started their recovery work in the ruins of the World Trade Center, a large-scale mental health response within the FDNY swung into action, initiated by staff of the department's Counseling Services Unit (CSU). “FDNY Crisis Counseling” recounts this ongoing response from the perspective of those who put it into practice.

Using narrative, case studies, and other real-world examples, this new resource provides a roadmap for applying innovative approaches to disaster response and the prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. It explains the following:

• A brief history of the CSU
• FDNY culture and the impact of 9/11
• The shaping of services to meet 9/11 needs
• Help provided to families, including widows and children
• Partnerships with other agencies and caregivers to deliver services

Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Iona College is a private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of American Catholic higher education. Iona, currently listed in the US News and World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges 2006" and The Princeton Review's Best Northeastern Colleges 2006 edition, offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as master of arts, master of science and master of business administration degrees and numerous post-graduate certificate programs.

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For questions or more information please contact:
Meghan Finn
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
tel: 914 633-2005 fax: 914 637-2711

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