ABSTRACT
Relevant to the response to terrorism is the model of the police's Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) who, in Britain, have now replaced the macho detectives who investigated violent crimes and controlled disaster situations. They recognise that it is quite possible to combine the roles of investigating officer and family supporter to people in crisis. In Northern Ireland it was leaders in Great Britain and the Irish Republic who met and worked together in the European Union and started to understand each other that eventually extended to the warring parties. Lord Alderdice has acknowledged the very different roles required of the politician and the psychotherapist. Professor Gersons and Mirjam Nijdam have shown that psychologists can support politicians and help to minimise the psychological impact of threats that could easily impair their judgement and decision-making at a time when these skills are most needed.
