Why are crisis counselors so sought-after?
SS: One of the assumptions is that without their intervention, post-traumatic stress disorder (which is a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis) will develop. That’s how they sell themselves to businesses – the fear of liability. In the book, you praise Rudy Giuliani, writing: “On September 11, he spoke to New Yorkers as mature adults, giving practical advice, telling them what he knew and did not know. He asked people to help each other out.” What was remarkable about his leadership, in the context of therapism? CHS: He had the right instinct. People don’t need strangers. They want to rely on the natural structures that always support them: families and churches and so on. Some people don’t have those kinds of supports, and they should be provided; the main job of politicians is to make sure that infrastructure is intact. SS: The tsunami provided another example. One of the first things that the Sri Lankan government wanted to do was to get the schools open to preserve structure and provid
