Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Counseling available at U. Nebraska to deal with traumatic events
By Jenna Gibson
Daily Nebraskan (U. Nebraska)
12/11/2007

(U-WIRE) LINCOLN, Neb. — Acts of violence can have a profound effect on a person's psyche. In the case of last week's Omaha shooting, even those not directly affected can experience negative repercussions to mental health.

To help students deal with this traumatic event, Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is offering counseling for people who may need to talk through their feelings.

"Any time there is a crisis or traumatic event it does affect people," said Mary Swoboda, a licensed clinical social worker at CAPS.

"Everybody thinks about it (the event) and processes it, and it does affect our general feeling of safety," she said.

Swoboda said she has not seen any patients who specifically came in to talk about the shooting, but many of the people she has seen did speak to her about the event.

"I think people will come in for counseling more if they're directly affected by it," she said.

Sherry Cox, a psychotherapist in private practice at Psychotherapy Associates in Lincoln who specializes in traumatic stress disorders, said she has seen a significant response to the Westroads Mall killings and this weekend's Colorado church shootings.

"People who had overcome fear of crowds and open spaces are again afraid to leave home," Cox said. "Clients who had been able to re-develop trust in other people are again finding themselves hyper-vigilant and distrustful of those around them. Nightmares and panic episodes are returning."

She said the shootings may also bring up traumatic memories in individuals without prior mental health treatment.

Randall Jones, chief executive officer and state relations representative for the Red Cross in Nebraska, said the Lincoln chapter of the Red Cross sent mental health workers to Omaha in the aftermath of the shooting.

He said the Red Cross typically sends volunteer mental health professionals in emergency situations.

"First they become available to talk to people about their feelings on the event, and through that they try to help them understand that those feelings are normal," Jones said.

He said professionals are also looking for symptoms that could indicate a more serious psychological problem such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jones said the Red Cross also works with spiritual care providers such as the church or clergy for people who want spiritual counseling when dealing with a traumatic event.

Swoboda said talking to patients about the shooting would be much the same as a regular counseling session. First they would talk about the person's symptoms, such as nightmares or anxiety, and then they would work to find a treatment.

As part of treatment, counselors have a handout from the American Psychological Association specifically addressing how to deal with distress in relation to the mall shooting.

The handout offers tips on how to work through the psychological impact of the event, which includes helping out in the community, taking a break to unwind and making sure to keep mentally and physically healthy.

Swoboda recommended talking about the event with others to try to make sense of what happened.

She said there may be more of a psychological impact with this event because most people can relate to going to the mall. However, she believes most people will not change their behavior.

"The idea of how you deal with a trauma is similar regardless of what the trauma is," she said.

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