Dear Colleagues,
I think that it is correct for William West to say that counsellors and
therapists do have a special contribution to make in respect of the distress
that has been caused by this viscous attack and the distress that will be
caused in the coming months. However, what I would not want to see is an
impression that somehow therapists can rise above this conflict and adopt an
allegedly superior moral tone that a peaceful response is not only desirable
but also somehow more "therapeutically" proper. It may be that I am
attacking before I am bitten, but I am growing weary of the postings, that I
am seeing as apparently being in the majority of those who post on
therapist/counsellors email lists, that somehow the victims are as guilty as
the perpetrators in the case of the WTC atrocity.
I do not believe that I am a lone voice in the therapeutic community and the
only one who is calling for a robust response to terrorism either from
extremist Muslims or from any other source. People who wish to become
enemies must be treated accordingly, that's self-defence. Therapists can
indeed play a significant part in the coming conflict. This will
particularly be so in the fields of trauma relief and grief counselling.
There will also be demands upon us to help people who will be affected by
the huge stress level increases that will doubtlessly permeate through the
general population. My contribution will mainly be with affected individuals
as I expect will be most of yours. However, my underlying attitude will be
one of support for the international drive to reduce both to reduce
terrorism and to eliminate as many terrorists as possible. I saw one posting
on a major American site wherein the author proudly told us that his respect
for the sanctity of all humanity was so overarching in his life, that he
would willingly sit down with Bin Laden and engage him in a constructive
dialogue. Well, I wouldn't; I'd shoot him! Am I really alone, as a
counsellor and therapist, in thinking that? Or is the therapeutic community
so different from the rest of the population that they are all in the 15-20%
who don't call for a vigorous response to evil? Congruity or what?
Norman
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