Grief counseling at schools requires planning

HARTFORD, Conn. — In the days since a school bus accident in Hartford, Conn., on Jan. 9 that killed one student and injured several others, Rocky Hill, Conn., school officials said they would offer grief counseling for students and faculty.

The term often is used by school officials, but what does grief counseling involve? It can vary significantly, depending on the district.

Paula Gill Lopez, who runs the school psychology program at Fairfield University, says grief counseling in schools advanced greatly after Sept. 11, 2001. But, she adds, there's still a lot of room for improvement. In some cases, she says, it could be described as "woefully inadequate."

"In most instances, crisis counseling is not thought about ahead of time," Gill Lopez says. "There has to be a push by school districts to have a plan and to be prepared."

Group discussions are important, she says, especially at high-school and middle-school levels. If a student is having trouble sleeping or concentrating, it's a big help to know that other students feel the same way.

"Kids at that level especially are very aware of what other students are saying and feeling and we can use that peer pressure and peer influence to an advantage," she says. "I've led groups where I'm just the facilitator and the kids do the talking. They're able to support and help one another just by normalizing what they're going through."

Every school district has at least one psychologist on staff, and that person often is responsible for coordinating grief counseling, along with school counselors and the administration. Ralph D'Amato, coordinator of the guidance department at Middletown High School, agrees that peers can be the best source of comfort for troubled students.

"Sometimes we might run groups so that other students know that their feelings are in the normal range," he says. "The power of groups is a powerful thing."

A good response plan also considers the needs of the faculty, he says: "How do you support the staff so that they're feeling healthy enough to counsel others?"

One of the most important elements of grief counseling is making sure the correct information gets out about the event.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.