When The Shooting Stops: How US Schools Handle Mass Trauma

The United States was hit with another school shooting on May 18, this time at Santa Fe High School. Ten people died and another 10 were injured.

Traumatic experiences such as this can affect children’s ability to focus and learn, making it harder to succeed in the classroom, stay out of the principal's office and graduate.

Trauma doesn't just come in the form of school shootings. Other types of trauma include witnessing community or domestic violence, having an incarcerated family member and experiencing the death of a loved one. Low-income and immigrant families tend to be disproportionately exposed to these experiences. Some students come to school with multiple traumas.

Intervention is most effective at an early stage — helping children learn how to manage trauma before they drop out of school.

After the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, Connecticut created a special budget to support children’s mental health services. More than 50 schools across the state now have a program called Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), which is reducing depressive symptoms and PTSD among participants.

The program, which is run by mental health experts, teaches groups of pupils cognitive behavioural skills and includes individual sessions with the child and parent. The program includes relaxation training, combating negative thoughts, reducing avoidance, developing a trauma narrative, and building social problem-solving skills.

An external study showed that children who receive this type of support have improved work opportunities and reduced healthcare costs across their entire lives.

This article takes a deeper dive into the impacts of childhood trauma and how programs like CBITS can help students. Written after the Parkland shooting in February, this article remains no less relevant today.