Therapist Enlisted To Help J.C. Penney Employees Cope Compares Retailer’s Past 17 Months To 9/11

After more than a year of management and financial upheaval, J.C. Penney executives last month asked a therapist to address employees at an internal meeting. He ended up traumatizing them more. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, J.C. Penney chief merchant Liz Sweney brought in an organizational therapist to help employees cope with the firing of former CEO Ron Johnson in April and a disastrous year that saw revenue plummet $4.3 billion, or 25%. The pair proceeded to compare the experience to a bomb explosion and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.