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Help!
Where do you turn when an entire school is trying
to deal
with the sudden death of a student or faculty member? For
some schools, it’s a call to YSB.
YSB counselors from all of our locations immediately clear
their schedules and report to the local school. While
support staff reschedules regular clients, the
counselors are already mingling with students and helping them deal with
their
grief.
“We often find that the death of a classmate shatters that
whole sense of security for adolescents,” reports YSB Clinical Director
Mike
Huntley. “Some of the kids are not
able to sit in the classroom and devote their full attention. Giving them a space to talk about how
they are feeling can help them gain some comfort and stability.”
YSB counselors are encouraged to reach out and connect with
grieving students. They encourage
them to tell their stories and perhaps begin thinking about ways they
can memorialize
their friend. The counselors
provide support, encourage students to take care of themselves and share
some
very basic information about grief and how people grieve in different
ways.
“We are not trying to do intensive therapy or delve into
personal or familial issues; we are there to support students in their
immediate grief responses,” states Huntley.
School staff has its hands full in these situations. While
dealing with their own grief,
they are connecting with students in each class affected by the loss,
notifying
and supporting families, and trying to maintain a sense of consistency
and
stability that a routine school day provides. YSB
counselors provide extra flexibility to help deal with
students who need support beyond the already strained capacities of
school
staff.
“We are fortunate to have the support of our communities and
individual donors to make it possible for YSB to respond quickly and
professionally,”
says Huntley.
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