Free Republic

Is grief counseling a somewhat new phenomenon?

Two Sago Mine workers commit suicide By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writer MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Two miners whose jobs included watching for safety hazards inside the Sago Mine before the deadly explosion last January committed suicide in the past month. Neither man had been blamed for the disaster that killed 12 of their comrades, and neither one's family has definitively linked the suicides to the accident. But those who knew the men say there is little doubt the tragedy haunted them. "I'm not sure anybody ever gets over it," said Vickie Boni, the ex-wife of one of them. "You live...

Op-Ed Contributor IT'S navel gazing time again, that stretch of the year when many of us turn our attention inward and think about how we can improve the way we live our lives. But as we embark on this annual ritual of introspection, we would do well to ask ourselves a simple question: Does it really do any good? --snip-- For years it was believed that emergency workers should undergo a debriefing process to focus on and relive their experiences; the idea was that this would make them feel better and prevent mental health problems down the road. After 9/11,...