John Weaver is a clinical social worker, author, crisis intervention consultant, and trainer from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, USA. Since 1991, he has been actively involved as a volunteer relief worker and instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC) Disaster Mental Health (DMH) team. He has assisted at several local and national disasters including service during the Great Mississippi River/Midwest Floods of 1993, coordinating DMH services for morgue volunteers following the 1994 airline crash in Pittsburgh, and service with the ARC team at the 1996 plane crash in the Everglades, near Miami. In 2001, he served as Coordinator of the ARC AIR Team’s Family Assistance Center following the 9/11 terrorist incident that caused the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA and then served as an ARC Assistant Officer helping manage the larger World Trade Center relief operation in NY City. (for further information and many resources see: eyeofthestorminc.com/ )
In the following video clip John discusses with his trainees how to acknowledge one’s grief as a professional caregiver when exposed to the significant traumas of one’s clients, for example working with the family survivors of the victims of the historic terrorist incident in Shanksville, PA on 9/11
Helpers May Cry from Vic Compher on Vimeo.
