WCBS 880 9/11 Series: Tuesday's Children Helps The Young Deal With Tragedy

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - The terrorist attacks that shook our nation had a powerful and lasting effect on the children of the U.S.

WCBS 880's Sophia Hall On The Story

The effects of the 9/11 tragedy have only gotten worse for some children and teenagers, who either lost a parent on that awful day, or have a first responder loved one who is ill, or recently died.

RELATED: WCBS 880 Presents 9/11 – Ten Years Later

Terry Sears of Tuesday's Children said in the last few months she has seen young people who have never had counseling sign up for the first time.

"We had a program last week and we had three of four families that never had done anything with us before," she said.

LINK: Tuesday's Children

"Our programs remain as necessary as they were in 2001 and 2002. Many of the children, whether it be a 9/11 family or a first responder's family, are really just beginning to learn about Sept. 11 just now," she told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall.

Sears said she is not surprised because the tragedy is very complex to understand.

"There's many complexities to this loss, and to this grief, that it's different," she said.

When a parent or guardian comes in for counseling, she says, "What they say is that their 9 or 10-year-old now wants to be with other children who also have the similar loss or if it's a first responder family, their child wants to be with other families that live under the stress or the threat of chronic illness in their family."

"It is a common bond. The loss or the impact is profound and I think it can begin to define, in some cases limit, who they are as a person and as a family and what Tuesday's Children tries to do is bring these families together and help them move forward," she said.

She said we must remember that "grief and loss is permanent and one deals with that over time."

Have your children had trouble dealing with the emotional aftermath of 9/11? Share your story in the comments section below.