Tim Warneka: coach, keynote speaker, counselor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mr. Timothy H. Warneka

Phone: 440/944-4746

September 24, 2001

Counselor & Coach Sponsors “Two Sessions Against Terrorism” Drive for Free Mental Health Services To Talk about Attack

(Cleveland, Ohio). Tim Warneka, a clinical counselor and coach based in Cleveland, is sponsoring a drive for mental health professionals across the Greater Cleveland area to offer 2 free crisis intervention sessions for people struggling in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. The public can find a current listing of free service providers by visiting the website Cleveland Therapists (www.clevelandtherapists.com) [NOTE: This website was closed in 2005] is supporting the drive by offering a free posting of contact information for any mental health professional who agrees to offer these free sessions.

Timothy H. Warneka, M.Ed., LPCC is president and founder of Cleveland Therapist and creator of the campaign. “In the days that followed September 11th,” said Mr. Warneka, “I felt helpless and powerless. I found myself wishing that I were a medical doctor or a firefighter so that I could drive to New York City to help out. Then, I decided to do what I could with what I had. So I created the “Two Sessions Against Terrorism” campaign.”

“Many firefighters and medical professionals have stepped up to help our country out,” said Mr. Warneka. “Now it is time for mental health professionals to do the same. Just as it will take weeks and months to repair the physical scars created by the terrorist attack, so too it will take weeks and months to heal the psychological scars caused by this attack. It is the job of the mental health professions to help heal those scars.”

Warneka, who has worked as an outpatient therapist with children and adolescents for the past 9 years, is used to working with trauma. “I know that the effects from a traumatic situation can last a long time for some people. For others, the effects may take some time to appear. My concern is that many people will experience effects from this tragedy and try and sweep them under the carpet. I wanted to find some way for people to become informed about the effects of trauma, as well as helping them to connect up with an appropriate mental health provider. So it was a logical step to offer our website as the vehicle.”

Mr. Warneka encourages any mental health professional who is interested in offering free crisis intervention services around this tragedy to e-mail him at: tim@timwarneka.com.

Mr. Warneka is author of the tip-sheet “Parent’s Guide: Ten Tips for Talking with Children about Terrorism” which has been posted websites throughout the United States, including The Ohio Commission for Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management’s website. Tim's tip-sheet can be found here:

http://www.timwarneka.com/information.html

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