Healing a Community: Lessons for Recovery after a Large-Scale Trauma

(starred review, Library Journal) Glaser, Melissa. Healing a Community: Lessons for Recovery After Large-Scale Trauma. Central Recovery. Feb. 2019. 226p. bibliog. ISBN 9781942094906. pap. $21.95; ebk. ISBN 9781942094883

More than 300 U.S. school shootings have occurred since the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre devastated the small community of Newton, CT, in 2012. Appointed to guide a recovery and resiliency team tasked with coordinating strategies to deal with the mental, psychological, and social impact of the trauma, Glaser (former behavioral health director, Catholic Charities) brings compassion and skill to the field of therapeutic recovery and the politics of funding and grant administration in this insightful and pragmatic look at healing individuals and communities after a massive tragedy. Notable lessons include the importance of clarifying roles even among experts, monitoring expectations among agencies as well as the dynamic needs of families and individuals impacted by trauma long after the initial event, while ensuring that civic leaders are part of the dialog of healing. Glaser briefly outlines therapies and programs that can be individualized to meet an array of needs and stages of healing; however, this is by no means an in-depth study of the psychology or treatment of trauma. VERDICT An important addition to recovery/bereavement literature that will be of interest to civic leaders and readers seeking to learn more about trauma-informed therapy, community planning, and emergency management.―Bernadette McGrath, Vancouver P.L., Canada

(Publishers Weekly) Healing a Community: Lessons for Recovery after a Large-Scale Trauma

Melissa Glaser. Central Recovery, $21.95 trade paper (226p) ISBN 978-1-942094-87-6

The director of the Newtown Recovery and Resiliency Team, formed 18 months after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, shares lessons learned in a helpful manual intended for fellow therapists and others preparing for the possibility of tragedy in their own communities. Glaser focuses on the importance of having experts trained in trauma care available not only to the most obviously impacted people, such as victims’ families, but to everyone in the community. She further stresses awareness of the needs of different groups, such as (in the case of a school shooting) teachers and students, first responders, and local therapists experiencing vicarious trauma and potential burnout. In her own Newtown experience, the problem that Glaser identifies as most central, especially given her team’s late start after waiting for funding, was of gaining the trust of a community already overwhelmed by media attention and conspiracy theorists, as well as by would-be do-gooders without direction or skills actually applicable to the situation. Mental health professionals who pick up Glaser’s practical guidebook on facing the unthinkable will find strong models for well-considered and appropriate care. (Feb.)

Melissa Glaser's Healing a Community serves as a road map for those who unfortunately need to address the mental, emotional, spiritual, interpersonal, and community aspects of a tragedy.―Ken Druck, PhD, Author, The Real Rules of Life Grief Coach to Sandy Hook Families

Targeting the issue of what's next? after a tragedy, Healing a Community is a groundbreaking blueprint for recovery and resiliency after large-scale trauma… a must read for anyone in municipality, emergency-planning, or incident care.―Pamela H. Pratt, LCSW

Although every tragedy and community is different, any town can learn from and prepare for crisis by utilizing the lessons learned and reported in this book. A sensitive, thoughtful guide, Melissa breaks the healing process into manageable albeit difficult steps, addressing the process, the accomplishments, and the difficulties encountered along the path to resilience.―Barbara Lavi, PhD, Clinician Specializing in Trauma and Child Psychotherapy

A beautifully honest and direct report of what happens in the therapeutic world when a community experiences a mass tragedy. I had the pleasure of working closely with Melissa in her role as the coordinator of the Newtown Recovery and Resiliency Center and I admired and appreciated her skill at navigating the challenges that came with this role.―Dorrie Carolan, Founder and Executive Director, Newtown Parent Connection

As a member of a team that treated the Sandy Hook community after the shooting, I can say Melissa Glaser’s book is well worth reading. FEMA had declared the entire town a victim, which was a first, and Healing a Community provides an insider’s view of the response at a level yet unseen.―J. Barry Mascari, EdD, LPC, LCADC, Associate Professor and Chair of the Counselor Education Department, Kean University