Psychologists will be positioned along the Boston Marathon route during the April 21 race, helping runners with anxiety as the first anniversary of the marathon bombings draws near, according to news reports.
One counselor told the Boston Globe that she’s working with four athletes who were in the tragic April 15, 2013, marathon.
“The first stage was getting them to feel safe and stable,” said Joanne Pomodoro, a clinical social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital Back Bay, adding, “We’re focusing on the competitive mindset . . . But you have to allow yourself to have feelings.”
Pomodoro said some runners have struggled with flashbacks, nightmares and fear of backpacks.
Chris Carter, of Boston’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, said people “may be feeling a little more on edge . . . more irritable and less patient.”