"I believe in the American theatre. I believe in its power to inform about the human condition,
its power to heal ... its power to uncover the truths we wrestle from uncertain and sometimes unyielding realities."

- AUGUST WILSON,
The Ground on Which I Stand

 

 

 



Educational Reality Theatre

presents


CRISIS
BEYOND SURVIVING
SYNOPSIS:

"I just had 110 stories of building fall on my head...."

This is the true story of a survivor, Bobby Senn, a firefighter who crawled
from the rubble of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Bobby comes
under the care of Dr. Mark Lerner, a clinical psychologist who specializes
in helping people during times of crisis.

The program opens with an engaging montage depicting some of life's most
challenging events. Firefighter Senn, in full gear, appears ... walking
slowly through the theatre. He finds the softly lit sanctuary of Dr. Lerner’s
office. It is the aftermath of the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

Bobby begins to tell his story. Anyone who has walked the path of adversity
identifies with him. The audience learns first-hand about the human impact of
a traumatic event and resulting traumatic stress reactions.

Blending informative monologues with unscripted actual events, Firefighter
Senn and Dr. Lerner empower the audience to understand how people can harness
painful emotional energy from a crisis, and use that energy to cultivate a
mission and a new sense of purpose.

For further information about this program, email:
DrLerner@optonline.net

www.MarkLerner.com

 


Music: Mad World, Gary Jules
 

Bobby Senn is a retired New York City firefighter who currently lives on Long Island with his wife, Christine. Bobby achieved a life long dream when he joined the FDNY in January of 1994 and worked in the borough of Brooklyn for 13 years. He holds a BS in Communications and English from the New York Institute of Technology which he earned in 1991.

Bobby travels the country speaking to groups of mostly teachers, nurses, firefighters and police officers in regard to his experience on September 11th 2001 and the emotional trauma that followed.  He does this in order help others recognize and normalize the effects of posttraumatic stress.  He also continues to help families of lost firefighters with the grieving process.

Bobby enjoys golf, music, a good practical joke and most of all spending
time with those in his life that have helped him get through that horrible day
and the months that followed.



Dr. Mark Lerner is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker and traumatic stress consultant who focuses on helping people during times of crisis. He maintains a clinical practice on Long Island, New York where he specializes in short-term intervention with people who are facing a challenging experience.

As President of the Institute for Traumatic Stress, Inc., Dr. Lerner regularly provides practical information, training, support and early intervention for organizations and corporations around the world. He is the originator of the Acute Traumatic Stress Management intervention model and has authored several books based on this model including Comprehensive Acute Traumatic Stress Management, A Practical Guide for School Crisis Response and A Practical Guide for University Crisis Response. He has additionally authored It’s OK Not To Be OK, During a Crisis.

Dr. Lerner has been called upon to consult with and train many organizations from large corporations to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the United Nations. Dr. Lerner lives in NY with his wife, three children and their beloved Italian Greyhound.
www.MarkLerner.com