A Shoulder To Cry On

Dr. Susan Silk offers support and direction to
families and friends of Comair Flight 3272 crash
victims.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

T

hankfully, Dr. Susan Silk
was not called to the site
of the Comair Flight 3272
crash, but it has become a
personal event for the South-
field-based clinical psychologist.
She has been spent her days and
nights since last week's ill-fated
crash offering support to the
families and friends of the 29 vic-
tims.
As a mental health officer for
the Southeastern Michigan Red
Cross, Dr. Silk has voluntarily of-
fered her time and attention af-
ter several tragic situations,
including the bombing of the Al-
fred P. Murrah Federal Building
in Oklahoma City in April 1995.
"There was a tremendous
problem taking care of the fam-
ilies of the victims ofValujet and
TWA Flight 800 [crashes]," said
Dr. Silk on Monday. "The fami-
lies didn't really feel as though
anyone was really representing
their interests."

As a result, "there's a new role
that's been federally mandated
for the Red Cross to work with
the National Transportation
Safety Board, to work with the
airlines and to be the agency in-
volved with facilitating, regulat-
ing ... contact with the families,"
she said.
When the Comair plane went
down, aviation authorities im-
mediately contacted the Red
Cross, said Dr. Silk. The NTSB
has stayed at the crash site, re-
trieving evidence and recovering
the victims. The Red Cross has
been offering care, support and
assistance to family members
"who are waiting for word on the
identification of their loved ones."
About seven families of vic-
tims, sometimes totaling nearly
75 people at a time, have stayed
near the site, Dr. Silk said.
They are not yet in a true pe-
riod of mourning, she said Mon-
day.

The families' first priority is
"to recover and bury their loved
ones. And of course, they're over-
whelmed. The last thing in the
world these people have the en-
ergy for is any kind of real ther-
apeutic process. That can't, and
that isn't their priority right
now, and shouldn't be."
Dr. Silk pointed to "a miscon-
ception about trauma and the
time table involved in counsel-
ing and recovery. In the very
first phase, we're involved in
support."
The crash site, described by Dr.
Silk as "very inhos-
pitable — acres and
acres of snow-covered
ground in sub-zero
weather," is not where
the families of victims
are spending most of
their time. Instead, the
airline has offered hous-
ing in a hotel in Monroe
County, not far from the
site, Dr. Silk said.
The mood fluctuates
between a somber tone
and one of hope, she
said.
"One of the things
that is hopeful to me
about an eventual pos-
itive outcome for most
of these people ... is the
extent to which there
are just so many layers

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of extended family and ... the po-
"These are very courageous,
tential for tremendous support. resilient individuals who are ap-
"There are days, times of propriately turning to friends and
days, when it's very, very sad family for support. Our job is to
and somber. There are times help them get through some of
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Dr. Silk emphasized the im-
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portance of giving continuous
Religion has offered
support to victims' rela-
some comfort and strength
tives.
to the families, said Dr. Dr. Sus an Silk:
"Sometimes we can
Silk, who is Jewish. Pas- Short m emories have a very short memo-
about
t
ragedy.
toral counseling is avail-
ry about tragedy, and the
able right alongside
primary victims are still
support from community health suffering when the community
officials, she said.
has gone on to other things."

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