Helpful Resources for Coping With Gun Violence in Schools

As Michigan and the nation is heartbroken by the mass shooting at Michigan State University that claimed the lives of three and left five others critically wounded, our hearts go out to the families, MSU community, and all those impacted by this senseless tragedy. To help our communities grapple with the grief and disbelief, we’ve compiled a list of resources to support and help:

• Common Ground. Helps community members in crisis. Call -1-800-231-1127; Or Text “Hello”; to chat with a crisis counselor.
• Oakland County Crisis/Suicide Line. 1-800-231-1127
• OK2SAY. Students can talk to a trusted adult if they see or hear something that doesn’t seem right. They can also report information anonymously using OK2SAY. Call 855-565-2729; text 652729; or email OK2SAY@mi.gov. For emergencies, dial 911.
• Resources to help Families Cope
• PBS resources to help families during challenging times
• PBS Offers Special Coverage, Programming and Resources in Response to the Mass Shooting in Uvalde
• How to talk with children in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting
• Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News
• DDH Online Peer Support Communities
• Sesame Street in Communities: Providing Safety and Comfort to Children
• The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) created tips for parents and teachers to talk to children about violence.
•  Another NASP resource, Helping Children Cope with Terrorism-Tips for Families and educators, is available in multiple languages.
• Common Sense Media suggests taking an age-based approach to discussing news of school shootings to help children feel safe again.
•  Verywell Family offers tips on how to have a conversation with a child and/or teen about gun violence or school shootings can feel overwhelming and provides suggestions on how to handle these hard conversations.
• The American Psychological Association offers tips on managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting.
• The National Parent Helpline at 1-855-4 A PARENT (1-855-427-2736) offers emotional support from a trained advocate Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Talking to Children About the Shooting.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education. Coping with Community Crisis.

Helping Your Children Through Scary Situation

“Open talk, open door: Helping kids, teens after a school shooting”
(source: University of Michigan Health)

Raising or educating kids in a pandemic with cases surging and the winter holidays approaching was already hard enough for Michigan parents and school staff. And then the school shooting in Oxford, Michigan happened on Nov. 30, 2021 – the first one in the state in decades, and the first one to claim multiple young lives in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic.

Now, parents and educators find themselves having to help children and teens process the news and navigate the trauma. That may take days or weeks, but resources from local and national organizations can help, says Joanna Quigley, M.D., a child psychiatrist at Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s academic medical center.

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