House of Representatives Offers Counseling for Staffers if January 6 Hearing Was ‘Triggering’

The House offered counseling to all staffers after the January 6 Select Committee aired “graphic new footage” related to the January 6 protests.

The January 6 Committee concluded its first public hearing Thursday night on primetime, as Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans claim former President Donald Trump “provoked” violence against U.S. Capitol Police.

The January 6 Committee, according to Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak, played a deceptively edited video of the Capitol riot during the hearing. The video also contained a dub in which former President Donald Trump described the peaceful part of the rally over footage of violent clashes a mile away from Trump’s speech.

January 6th Committee / YouTube

In reaction to Thursday’s hearing, Catherine Szpindor, the chief administrative officer of the House, sent out an email to all House staffers offering counseling:

Notice to All House Staff:

As you know, the first of several publicly televised hearings surrounding the events of January 6, 2021, occurred yesterday evening. These hearings include graphic new footage and testimony related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, which may be naturally unsettling or even re-triggering to some individuals within our community.

Please know that the professional counseling staff of the Office of Employee Assistance (OEA) are here to provide confidential support and problem resolution for individuals and teams impacted by these events or other stressors they may be experiencing.

Connecting with the OEA is as easy as calling 202-225-2400 or sending an email to schedule services or request immediate consultation, if needed. The OEA has also developed a toolkit to help managers and employees navigate stress and trauma in the workplace as staff continue to cope with the residual impact of these events. This toolkit can be downloaded for your own personal use and can be accessed on the OEA page on HouseNet.

More information about the resources, services, and offerings provided by the OEA can also be found on the OEA page on HouseNet.

Be well, and thank you for your continued service to the House.

CNN political commentator Chris Wallace described the hearing and footage as horrifying.