Project Liberty: New York's Crisis Counseling Program

The article  Project Liberty: New York’s Crisis Counseling Program Created in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001  highlights the initiatives undertaken by President George W. Bush after the New York terror attack of September 11, which propelled the deaths of hundreds of civilians, besides harming the mental health of the demised persons’ families, survivors, displaced citizens, and the entire nation. After the incident mentioned above, President Bush ordered the institution of a crisis counseling center that would remedy the mental disorders that the aforementioned experienced, help them cope with the trauma that ensued after the attack, and restore the functioning to normalcy the quickest manner ( Donahue, Lanzara, Felton, Essock, & Carpinello, 2006) . Project Liberty was then birthed, through the support of entities, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), New York State Office of Mental Health (NYOMH), and a token of $155 million from the United States’ government to ensure the success of the venture.  

During its first three months, the project’s success manifested in the enormous numbers of American citizens served, totaling 1.2 million. According to the Project Liberty representatives report, the venture proffered individual and group counseling therapy for 565,000 civilians affected by the September 11 attack and public education for 550,000 individuals ( Donahue et al. 2006) . The project was also responsible for the successful implementation of 700 educational and counseling centers between 2001 and 2002, and by May 2002, the venture had conducted 41,000 counseling sessions within New York ( Donahue et al. 2006) . The venture’s success was primarily advanced by NYOMH, which aided in data collection, execution of contracting techniques, distribution of materials to engender public education, and training for disaster management professionals who helped provide care for traumatized patients.  

References 

Donahue, S. A., Lanzara, C. B., Felton, C. J., Essock, S. M., & Carpinello, S. (2006). Project liberty: New York's crisis counseling program created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.  Psychiatric Services ,  57 (9), 1253-1258.  https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2006.57.9.1253