Central Oregon team helps kids deal with trauma

Thursday’s shooting left many wondering how their children will deal with the sort of trauma that comes with tragedies like this. We interviewed the coordinator of the Tri-County School Response Team, Nita Carnagey, to see how they ensure the mental safety of the kids in Bend-La Pine Schools.

“What we do is we work with a whole group of students,” Carnagey said. “I’ll have several people in there. We’ll work in small groups just to facilitate them into talking with each other, which is part of the healing process.”

The response team is trained and prepared to work with children of all ages.

“The younger children, they have a whole different vocabulary,” she said. ” You’ve got to speak with words and phrases that they’re familiar with, without speaking down to them.”

“High school students are more like adults — they understand death, they understand the repercussions, they may know that they are going to feel angry or lost or whatever following that,” Carnagey added.

If children are harboring heavy feelings, Carney advises they “talk with a trusted adult and go to the school counselor.”

Carney told NewsChannel 21 an event like the Umpqua Community College shooting can bring back haunting memories from other events, like the Bend High shooting, or can even be amplified by other traumatic events that are happening in their personal lives.

She also said to make sure that you are watching for red flags and warning signs that your child may be having a hard time digesting this difficult news.

Learn more about the response team at: http://www.hdesd.org/services/school-response-team/

Here’s one of the many sites online with more tips and information on how to help youth deal with traumatic events: http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children-and-teens/tips-parents-and-caregivers/help-your-child-manage-traumatic-