Surge of counselling in New York after 9/11 only helped therapists

But at least the therapists felt better. [Link]

Therapy can exacerbate trauma and make things worse according to a study looking at the counselling given to New Yorkers in the aftermath of 9/11.

The report, to be published in the journal American Psychologist next month to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, found that reliving the events was harmful for many survivors.

Mental health professionals flooded the city in a wave of 'trauma tourism' after two planes struck the World Trade Center in 2001 according to the report.

But the main psychological benefits were felt by the psychologists rather than the patients, said the study, which said experts greatly over-estimated the number of people who wanted treatment.

'We did a case study in New York and couldn't really tell if people had been helped by the providers – but the providers felt great about it,' Patricia Watson, a co-author of the report who works at the National Centre for Child Traumatic Stress told The New York Times.