NEWS INDEX 2001 September

Community Help Line to offer help to people with reactions to Sept. 11

Jeff Unger, News Bureau
(217) 333-1085; j-unger@uiuc.edu

9/21/01

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A Community Help Line will be available beginning Tuesday (Sept. 25) to help people in East Central Illinois process their reactions to the recent terrorist attacks and their aftermath.

Calls will be taken at (217) 265-7200 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Calls after office hours will be returned as soon as possible. All calls remain confidential.

The Psychological Services Center, staffed by the clinical/community psychology program in the department of psychology at the University of Illinois, created the service. Professional staff, including clinical and community psychologists at the university and in the Champaign-Urbana area, will be available to answer people’s questions and share resources with individuals, as well as with schools, agencies and neighborhood organizations.

"Our faculty and students have been approached by many people in the community since the terrorist attacks, and we felt a need to respond," said Wendy Heller, the director of clinical training in the clinical/community psychology program. "People have questions and concerns that need to be addressed. We anticipate a lot of delayed reactions that will affect individuals, families and their communities."