Responding to Mass Shootings

Curt and Katie talk about how to take care of your clients, your communities, and yourself after a mass shooting. We look at the types of victims, the different stages of response, and treatment considerations.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

• Responding to the recent Mass Shootings
• The different roles that therapists can be expected to play after a Mass Shooting incident
• The types of victims of these events (from victims radiating out to people who are learning about these events on social media)
• The different stages of trauma response – and the caution to not assume everyone will end up with PTSD
• Who is at risk for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• The different factors that can lead to an emotional response to the shooting, regardless of how close you are to the incident
• The importance of Psychological First Aid (and how Critical Incident Stress Debriefing can be harmful)
• Vicarious and Re-traumatization, triggers, no response
• The impact of previous traumas
• The importance of community supports and types of community interventions
• Looking at how to assess boundaries and be part in the community healing
• Post-Traumatic Growth and finding meaning, purpose
• How often those with mental illness diagnoses might feel stigmatized when they are scape-goated and should also be supported
• How the role that therapists play can impact therapists
• The careful assessment of how you can help and what you can offer to people impacted by these events
• Important self-care reminders for therapists