Coping with Shootings – Resources for Coping with the Tragedies

There is likely little more alarming that the sanctity of our places we hold as dear places of learning being violated by the senseless violence of mass shootings.  Though our perceptions often fool us into believing this is a common occurrence, our schools in reality, remain some of the safest places for our children to be.  There are likely few of us trained to understand the mind which does something so deranged or intentionally malicious.  However, as parents, firefighters, law enforcement, physicians and teachers, the horror, pain and loss is something which we all share.  In these moments the security and peace of our students is seriously challenged.  It is up to us to support one another and provide comfort and healing for victims and our own students and families.

Please remember those that are lost, and thank the first responders whose task it is to respond.

There are a number of helpful suggestions which have been published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and other organizations. 

This is a brief list of resources.  Other suggestions welcome:

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – Children and Grief

From APA: Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.htmlx

American Psychological Association – Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting

American Academy of Pediatrics – Resources to Help Parents, Children and Others Cope in the Aftermath of School Shootings

Massachusetts General Hospital for Children – Talking To Children About A Shooting

 Coping With The Impact of Random Shootings

School Shootings - Helping Teens Cope - from NYU Child Study Center

Taking the Terror out of School Shootings - U. of Minn.

Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida has more than 30 years of experience providing psychological assistance to people who have had traumatic experiences or who have been victims of crime.  We have also been honored to assist some of our first responders and law enforcement agencies who difficult task is to provide a response and deal with the aftermath.

Ernest J. Bordini, Ph.D. is an expert in the assessment of violence risk, completing his doctoral research on the prediction of violence in a forensic psychiatric facility. He has presented at the local, state, and national levels on violence and suicide risk assessments, psychological aspects of firearm safety, and on the psychological assessment of school shooting threats. He has served on the City of Gainesville Violence Avoidance Task Force and has been involved in assessments and support for officer involved shootings.