A law passed after the Flight 800 crash expanded the role of the National Transportation Safety Board to include mental health counseling for victims of U.S. plane crashes. The NTSB appointed the American Red Cross as official counseling providers. For the Swissair crash, which happened in Canada, the airline is offering a grief counseling hot line in addition to Red Cross volunteers. As helpful as those services are, some family members may not be ready for a shoulder to cry on right away. Robert Hayes, a psychologist with the Red Cross who consoled families after a Korean Air Lines jet crashed in Guam last August, says that's why his organization makes sure people know about counseling services at their hometown Red Cross chapter.
Some people are just too angry or overwhelmed to accept help right there at the airport.
For those who do accept support right away, emotions can range from denial to extreme anger. And the best that an officially designated grief counselor can do is listen. Mostly it's a lot of listening, letting each person tell their individual story. Even people who aren't official counselors can make a big difference. They're not psychologists, but the services they provide help surviving families because they don't have to worry about basic needs like food or shelter.