Guns in School: Counseling For All Students Is Needed
All students need caring and wise counsel
June 13, 2023
When the subject “School Shootings” comes up most people tend to feel uncomfortable and worried. The truth is that it is an issue and it needs to be acknowledged whether some like guns and some think guns should even exist.
Kids struggle with this subject; they are in need of counseling and medication. What happens to the survivors? What needs to be done with those who are potential risks of doing something like that?
More specifically, how do we counsel students clearly as risk for such behavior?
Traumas affect day-to-day life. The traumatized people might feel anger, fear, guilt, sadness, or grief in the days and weeks following trauma. Some people start to feel better as they start to understand what happened to them, while others feel overwhelmed or trapped by strong emotions.
All families and students are affected by shootings whether they are pro-guns or not. For example, in many places where most people are pro-gun, school shootings still happen and it affects the entire community.
An analysis by The Washington Post is that from 1966 to 2021, 1,102 Americans were killed in mass shootings, and thousands more have been physically and mentally injured. This fact scares people and that is why counseling is important for both people that have presented something like this and people who have a chance of going through it.
Most survivors show toughness. But others experience persistent mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. All of this needs to be dealt with through counseling and maybe medication.
I spoke with a Sutton High School adjustment counselor about the need for counseling for students who have experienced trauma. Ms. Brousseau stated that she tries to know if students have experienced traumas and how they react to them.
According to Ms. Brousseau, some signs that someone is off are that they are different than usual, missing classes, and not talking to trustworthy people. Ways to comfort depend on the student- some need a quiet place to stay, others need to talk or get energy out, and some like coloring and reading, but certain techniques don’t work for everyone.
According to Ms. Brousseau counseling is beneficial because it is helpful to talk and understand that trauma happens but it’s not one’s fault, when you say what you feel it’s better because you let go, most people think that traumas are just about them.
Trauma is hard to overcome and it changes people, but they can work and grow through it. Trauma cannot be removed, but techniques to cope can be used to help minimize it affecting people.
The requirement for school counselors is on the rise. Counselors not only improve the performance of a student but they help reduce suspensions and other disciplinary actions. It also keeps schools safe and it helps prevents violent tragedies.
Everyone has fears and worries, outside and inside of school. School shootings and being scared that it might happen shouldn’t be one more worry and trauma for anyone that either attends school or has a loved one going to school. Sometimes school is an escape for some children that don’t have peace at home, and it shouldn’t be a place where they have a fear of death instead of worrying about a test they need to take.
Counseling to help those that are at risk for violent behavior need to be dealt with immediately. Without this counseling, the odds are that we will have to deal with yet another violent act in our schools.
