School attack: how to deal with students’ trauma – 03/27/2023 – Equilibrium

A 13-year-old teenager was responsible for the death of a teacher at the state school Thomazia Montoro, in the west zone of São Paulo, this Monday (27). In addition to the teacher, the student injured three other teachers and two colleagues with knife blows.

The case warns of the increase in violence in schools, with cases of physical aggression becoming more common since the face-to-face return after the pandemic. Last year, gun attacks and multiple victims were recorded in at least 4 states.

The actions are traumatic for students, staff, faculty and other students who learned of the attack through the news or social media. Professional and institutional help may be needed to deal with fear, grief and return to activities.

Gabriela Gramkow, PhD in Social Psychology and professor at PUC-SP (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo), points out that, in Brazil, this type of attack is usually linked to some previous problem. “It is natural that there are conflicts in the school environment, the big question is how to deal with them”, she says.

Measures such as the creation of welcoming spaces at home and at school help those involved to mourn after the attack and avoid new cases. In addition, they help those who were not victims of the attack, but feel afraid or insecure due to the news about the event.

These listening spaces do not need to be organized only by mental health professionals outside the school environment, but by the educator himself. “The school can and needs to manage its educational relationships”, points out Gramkow.

Despite this, the psychologist emphasizes the importance of specialized interventions in these situations. In the city of São Paulo, the Naapa (Support and Accompaniment Nucleus for Learning), run by the city of São Paulo, assists young people in psychological distress.

The core is made up of professionals from different areas who serve schools in the municipal education network as required, and can help in cases of attacks.

Collective and institutional initiatives are important to reference grief and understand the trauma within the school community itself. After a traumatic experience, it is important for individuals, victims or distant bystanders, to talk about the experience. It is necessary, however, to respect the time of each student and the faculty itself.

“To silence grief is to continue the cycle of violence,” says Gramkow.

In the first few days, it is natural that school activities are interrupted and that many do not feel comfortable returning to routine.

Gramkow indicates that “when the event is very recent, it makes no sense to think of a period of mourning. A processing time is necessary”.

However, there may be cases in which young people from the school involved or from other institutions find it more difficult to return to school. On these occasions, the educational institution can organize an active search process to welcome the student and encourage his return.

Signs of paralysis, denial, unwillingness to eat or perform activities are worrying, according to the specialist. Places such as the Caps-IJ (Center for Psychosocial Care for Children and Adolescents) can offer assistance.

The teacher points out, however, that in the first moments after the trauma, it is necessary to accept the students’ demands, seeking to understand what they represent, and face avoidance strategies. “You have to live this grief.”