There are certain tragedies that happen because of accidents and being irresponsible. Such as students carrying firearms in school, they might want to imitate their favorite players like Gilbert Arenas that does not take concern about others safety. Counseling must not be done after a tragedy happens. It is a basic knowledge to teach them how to be irresponsible and to be aware of what is not to be brought inside a school premises.

When I was in high school, it seemed like every year one of our students would die in a car accident.  If we knew the person, we were sad and went to the visitation and funeral.  If we didn’t know them, it might as well not have happened as far as the activities of the school and student population was concerned.  We understood that people die and death is part of the human experience, however tragic the untimely death of a young person might be.  No mass trauma.  No grief counsellors.  We just went on with our lives as before.

I hate all of this breast beating and grief counselling.  It assumes a false and unhealthy emotional fragility and encourages an unatural emotionalism and hysteria.  Far more healthy to have a moment of silence (back in the day, we had a prayer) in the weekly assembly, and then get on with life.

I have always thought that a stiff upper lip and staying busy was the best response to “bad things happening”.

#3
Amen!

As a school counselor, I can say that appropriate grief counseling is an important service I provide to students. This article is referencing a study of a specific debriefing technique, and the actual study is not assessable to those who do not subscribe to this Medical Journal in Canada, so I have not read the complete study—only the article in the paper. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater!