The Family Assistance Education & Research Foundation (FAERF) has been at the forefront of the evolution of emergency management, combining the head-heart approach for a fully integrated response to survivors of traumatic loss. Practicing consciousness in the workplace involves caring for people first, without exception.
Last month’s article addressed the need for planning, training, and practice, as essential in preparing employees for the emotional and psychological impact of catastrophic loss in their workplace. The point being that when human lives are at stake, while we can be prepared for how we will carry out our assigned duties, there is no amount of preparation that can render employees emotionally and psychologically “ready” for the losses.
This month’s article will discuss the healing and recovery aspect of traumatic loss – in the context of the family and primary survivors, and the impact of support provided by the Care Team and the company employee support. A significant theme related to healing and moving into a new life following loss pertains to finding meaning in the experience of the loss and creating a new life where the meaning can be integrated.
Finding Meaning in the Experience of the Loss
He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.
-Frederick Nietzsche (German Philosopher 1844-1900)
In his studies of inmates in concentration camps, Dr. Viktor Frankl, himself a Holocaust survivor, found that the search for meaning was a factor in his or her ability to survive the camps. He concluded that meaning was more important than happiness and called his form of therapy logotherapy because logos translates as therapy. Considering the horrible experiences of Holocaust survivors and the losses the survivors in our studies are coping with, finding happiness is not an immediate goal, whereas finding meaning happens organically for most.
Most survivors begin planning memorials, scholarships, foundations and other creative expressions in honor of the deceased immediately after the loss. While many survivors move more quickly than others, these activities of marking anniversaries, birthdays, and other tributes are symbolic of integration of the losses. Recognition of the healing that occurs from marking occasions is also shown by the fact that many government organizations and other community groups take the lead in helping survivors hold celebratory events in memory of their lost loved ones.
Finding meaning in the experience surrounding the loss is greatly influenced by the kindness and support of others as is illustrated by the growing research on the power of gratitude as is discussed next.
Gratitude Toward the Company and Employees
It’s not until you lose everything that you truly appreciate everything.
-Beauty and the Beast
Four decades of interviews with family members and primary survivors who have been assisted by company employees shows the enormous gratitude felt by those who receive the support. Our case study research provides insight into what survivors find helpful as they look back at their experience of the loss and interactions with others.
Current research shows that gratitude powerfully rewires the brain and body, boosting happiness, hormones (dopamine, serotonin), reducing stress (cortisol), improving sleep, strengthening relationships, and fostering resilience by increasing activity in brain regions for emotion/decision-making. In the Foundation’s original research on how employee response impacts survivors’ long-term healing, conducted by Dr. Carolyn Coarsey, the author of Human Services Response™, the model used by employee teams who support survivors of traumatic loss in their workplace, showed a significant correlation between high satisfaction in employee response by survivors and fewer cases of major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and less symptoms of other disorders associated with trauma. However, the satisfaction score from other agency responders did not predict more or fewer symptoms or disorders. Discussion with survivors revealed true gratitude toward the company’s employees, as this was not their normal job. Less gratitude toward other responders, i.e., medical employees, uniformed personnel, etc, was likely due to the way survivors saw their assistance. They felt that other responders were carrying out their normal duties, whereas the company employees were going above and beyond their normal jobs.
To illustrate the above points about the importance of finding meaning in surviving unimaginable losses and the healing effects of gratitude, we will share a story from our case study research about a mother and her recovery in the loss of her children fourteen years later.
Karen’s Story.
The day before American Thanksgiving, 2011, I was home writing when my cell phone began ringing and buzzing from calls and texts. I knew something tragic had happened for this much telephonic activity to occur. At the time, I was working with Delta Air Lines, establishing their Care Team Training and program. Many people at the airline knew I would be devastated to learn that flight attendant Karen Perry’s three children and their father had died in a crash in Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona – her home. A couple of years after the accident, I had the privilege to learn from Karen about the amazing support she received from friends and her Delta Air Lines family. This past Thanksgiving (2025), I again spoke with Karen about the support she received and her life today.
When asked nearly a decade and a half later, what she remembered most about the support Karen received, her response was, “That people showed up. Look,” Karen said, “I’m every parent’s worst nightmare, a reminder of how the worst thing in the world not only can happen, it did happen. And yet, people showed up to help me, anyway…and they still do.” Karen’s book Angels Three (available on Amazon) is a moving story that details Karen’s survival and highlights the support she received from others.
Delta Air Lines sent flight attendants to Phoenix to support her and local friends through the funeral. Her supervisor stayed nearby to assist her with expenses and business matters. A passenger jet was taken out of regular service, filled with flight attendants in uniform and flown to Phoenix the day of the funeral. Among the many kindnesses that were contributed, flight attendants donated vacation days from their schedules, and were able to provide Karen an entire year off from work with full benefits.
As with many survivors I have interviewed, the genuine display of compassion and support Karen received, provided the emotional connection needed to sustain her during the critical time she needed the most support. It also gave Karen hope that she could also serve others in the future. Over time, Karen was able to see that she could use her resources to help others confronted with loss. Today Karen runs her own charity, where she and a therapist help traumatized children through Equine-assisted therapy, which allows the children to heal through exposure to horses.
Healing for Care Team Responders
The wound is the place where the light enters you.
-Rumi (Sufi Mystic and Poet, 1207-1273)
For employees of an organization where tragic events have occurred, the trauma is multifaceted. Many employees, once proud to display their company’s logo find it difficult to appear in public wearing uniforms and other articles associated with their company. The media is often unkind and presents the company in a negative light. These somewhat superficial concerns pale when compared to the grief many employees experience – even if they did not know those who were killed and injured.
In addition to ensuring proper psychological support is available and self-care programs are promoted, proper training helps with the emotional issues employees often face. Today, training for employees who assist survivors of traumatic loss in their workplace features videos and stories of survivors designed to provide the best possible preparation. At the Foundation, we have broadened our library for training to include examples of employee responders who have experience in supporting survivors during their worst times. The videos are also helpful in giving the employees confidence that they can do the work.
Newer research on the value of helping others points to other positive benefits of Care and Special Assistance Team work. Altruism has been linked to the release of feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin which boosts mood and self-esteem while reducing stress. Leaning into an attitude of helping each other, as well as the public, can provide responders with a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Programs offered during peace times by the Foundation such as the I-HARP™ Certificate and Mental Health First Aid also help with daily emotional distress and help bolster resilience for more challenging times.
To learn more about these programs, interested participants are encouraged to contact Rosangela Mento Maxwell (rosangela.maxwell@aviem.com) for Mental Health First Aid training and Kristine Budaha (kristine.budaha@aviem.com) for information about the I-HARP™ Certificate.