We are all devastated by the news of the tragic shooting that occurred yesterday in Pittsburgh. The violence and carnage alone is distressing but complicated further by a reminder of the presence of dangerous hatred and prejudice.
OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services Trauma Team, led by Dr. Norman Blumenthal, Zachter Family Chair in Trauma and Crisis Response and Tzivy Reiter, OHEL Director, has broad experience in responding to meet the immediate and long terms needs of those traumatized by such events.
We provide diverse assistance, from on-the-ground support, community-wide conference calls, and personalized consultation. With a long-standing commitment to assuaging trauma and distress particularly to our children, we are providing the below practical steps to help mitigate the trauma of this catastrophe – which in today’s world, affects us all.
When tragedy touches our community, it affects all of us. It can make both children and adults feel vulnerable and confused by events that are so devastating and impossible to understand. It may trigger memories of other tragic situations that similarly affected the community or losses that people may have experienced in the past. Everyone reacts differently to a trauma, and there is no right or wrong way to react. Individual reactions will vary and are based on a variety of factors including relative exposure to the event, relationship to the people most profoundly affected, personality, characteristics, past exposure to trauma and level of support available.
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The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.