What have they done to my song? Social science social movements and the debriefing debates

The proximal and immediate response of psychologists and other counselors to victims of disaster, terrorism, and trauma has become a culturally expected practice and has provided an expanding niche for organizations, agencies, and practitioners. “Counselors will be on hand” has become a ubiquitous line in most any media report of tragedies great or small, and many corporations and organizations now provide immediate counseling and “debriefing” services to employees—sometimes with a mandate for all to participate. But these strategies have not proven greatly effective, and growing evidence exists that they can even complicate recovery for some. This article reviews the evolution of immediate assistance programs, the empirical evidence regarding efficacy and paradoxical outcomes, and evolving strategies showing empirical support for their efficacy and utility in programs of early assessment and intervention.