EAST LANSING, Mich. — Days after the deadly mass shooting at Michigan State University, many are grappling with grief and trauma.
On Monday, 43-year-old Anthony McRae opened fire in two areas of MSU, killing three and wounding five. He was then at large for hours while police responded to the shooting, leaving students on campus to hide and wait for police to secure their area.
Now, a mental health expert is sharing some ways to cope with trauma and how to discuss it with your kids.
Executive director at Mosaic Counseling Sarah Lewakowski said the day after the shooting, all 170 therapists with the organization were emailed to ask if any could be available for students soon.
"I was amazed at how quickly we had nearly 50 of them say that yes, they were there ready if an MSU student needed to speak to them," Lewakowski said. "So that was wonderful to have that."
When talking to your children about the shooting, Lewakowski said it depends on their age. She said young children may not know much about the shooting, and could just need reassurance.
"For them, just to let them know that adults in their life are keeping them safe, so they don't have a lot of fear," she said.
Lewakowski said counseling, whether it's one time or continuous, can help teenage and college-aged children cope with their emotions while they process a traumatic event.
Even if your child doesn't attend professional counseling, she said having conversations with them can make a difference.
"Listen and take that time to really hear what they're thinking, their fears, making sure that they have that person to talk to," Lewakowski said.
She also encouraged anyone struggling with trauma to seek counseling or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Free and confidential crisis counseling is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the following contacts:
- Students: Call 517-355-8270 and press "1" at the prompt
- Community Mental Health: 517-346-8460
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