Coping with Trauma After a School Shooting: Symptoms and Treatment
Coping With Trauma After School Shooting: Recognizing and Managing Your Reactions
After a school shooting—whether on a college campus or at any educational institution—it’s completely normal to experience intense emotional and physical reactions. If you were present during the Brown University shooting, heard about it from friends or colleagues, or are simply part of the Providence community processing this tragedy, you may be struggling with fear, confusion, or distress that feels overwhelming.
These reactions aren’t signs of weakness. They’re normal responses to an abnormal and frightening event. Understanding what you’re experiencing and knowing when to seek support can make a significant difference in coping with trauma after school shooting incidents and moving toward recovery.
This guide focuses on recognizing trauma symptoms in yourself or loved ones, understanding what to expect in the days and weeks ahead, and knowing what mental health resources are available in Providence and throughout Rhode Island.
What Are Normal Reactions After a School Shooting?
In the immediate aftermath of gun violence at a school, you may experience a wide range of reactions. School shootings can occur suddenly and unpredictably, leaving students, families, and communities struggling to process the emotional aftermath. Common responses include:
Fear and worry about safety on campus or in other public places
Difficulty sleeping or trouble sleeping (nightmares, waking frequently)
Changes in eating habits or appetite
Trouble concentrating on coursework or work tasks
Strong emotions including feeling sad, angry, numb, or emotionally disconnected
Physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or muscle tension
Avoiding places that remind you of the event
Feeling guilty, especially if others were hurt
Increased irritability or anger
Changes in alcohol or substance use patterns
Children may express their concerns through changes in behavior, appetite, and sleep patterns after a traumatic event.
These reactions can appear immediately or develop days or weeks later. You might feel fine initially and then notice symptoms emerging as the shock wears off. This delayed response is also completely normal after traumatic events.
Your reaction may be more intense if:
You were physically present during the shooting
You knew the victims or shooter personally
You’ve experienced previous trauma or loss
You already struggle with anxiety or depression
You lack strong social support
But even community members with no direct connection often experience significant distress after mass shootings in their area. Research shows that exposure to school shootings—even indirect exposure—can affect mental health and well-being. Monitoring children's media exposure is important to prevent increased anxiety after a traumatic event.
In our work with Providence-area clients after traumatic events, we’ve learned that reactions don’t follow neat timelines. Some people feel numb for weeks before emotions surface. Others experience immediate panic that gradually settles. What we tell clients is this: your nervous system just experienced a massive threat. However you’re responding right now is your body’s attempt to keep you safe. There’s no “right” way to react.
How Long Do These Reactions Last?
Most people show gradual improvement over weeks to months with appropriate support from friends, families, and mental health services. Recovery happens at different rates for different people, and some days will be harder than others. This isn't linear—you may have good stretches followed by difficult periods.
Research indicates that students exposed to school shootings may experience longer-term effects including increased use of mental health services and changes in academic performance. Some studies show higher rates of antidepressant use among those exposed to gun violence in the years following the event.
However, if symptoms persist for more than two months without improvement, get worse over time instead of better, significantly interfere with your ability to work or maintain relationships, or include thoughts of self-harm, it's important to seek professional help.
The difference between normal distress and something requiring treatment isn't always clear-cut. A general guideline: if your symptoms prevent you from doing things you need or want to do, or if you feel stuck rather than gradually improving, professional support can help.
What Helps in the Immediate Aftermath?
Research has identified five essential elements that support recovery after mass trauma. These aren't just feel-good suggestions—they're evidence-based approaches that help your nervous system recover from overwhelming stress and promote a safe and supportive environment for healing.
Promoting Safety
Help yourself feel physically and emotionally safe by:
Seeking accurate information about what happened and what school safety measures are in place
Limiting exposure to media coverage and social media about the event
Maintaining your daily routine as much as possible (sleep schedule, meals, exercise)
Staying in contact with trusted friends and family
Limit media exposure and television news carefully. Repeated viewing of news coverage or social media posts about the shooting can increase distress and make trauma symptoms worse. Monitoring your exposure to media helps prevent increased anxiety. Get essential information from reliable sources, then step away.
Providing Calming
Reduce overwhelming feelings and stress by:
Practicing breathing exercises or other relaxation techniques
Engaging in physical activity (even a short walk helps diffuse anxiety and improve emotional regulation)
Taking breaks from thinking or talking about the event when needed
Being patient with your emotional reactions
Your nervous system is on high alert. Anything that signals safety to your body—slow breathing, familiar routines, time in nature, connection with safe people—helps recalibrate that alarm system.
Building Connection
Stay connected with others. Isolation makes trauma symptoms worse. Creating community spaces where you can express feelings matters.
Reach out to friends, family, or supportive people in your life
Participate in campus vigils or community gatherings if it feels right
Consider joining support groups where you can talk, write, or use creative outlets to process the event
Talk about your experience when you're ready (but don't force it if you're not)
For Providence community members and families affected by the Brown University shooting, connecting with others processing the same event can be particularly helpful. You're not alone in what you're experiencing.
Promoting Efficacy
Help yourself feel capable and not helpless by:
Engaging in activities that give you a sense of control or purpose
Participating in helpful activities (like organizing support for affected students or faculty)
Recognizing your own strengths and coping efforts
Making decisions about your own recovery process
Trauma often creates feelings of powerlessness. Any action—even small ones—that reminds you that you can influence your environment helps counter that helplessness.
Fostering Hope
Support optimism about recovery by:
Focusing on helpers and positive community responses
Making plans and looking forward to future activities
Connecting with stories of resilience and recovery from others
Remembering that healing is possible
This doesn't mean forcing positivity. It means allowing space for the reality that most people do recover from trauma, even when it doesn't feel that way in the immediate aftermath.
School Safety and Prevention
School safety? It's not just about metal detectors and locked doors—though those matter too. Real safety is about weaving together a comprehensive support network where students, educators, and families feel genuinely protected, heard, and valued. Think of it this way: preventing gun violence and traumatic events isn't a one-size-fits-all approach—it requires the whole community rolling up their sleeves and working together. The Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) gets this, emphasizing strategies that tackle both the physical security piece and the emotional well-being that often flies under the radar.
Here's where it gets interesting—effective school safety starts with evidence-based programs that actually foster positive school climates and get people talking openly about their concerns and fears. Picture this: schools can establish crisis response teams (think of them as your safety first-responders) trained to spot early warning signs of distress, provide trauma-informed care, and jump into action when potential threats surface. Regular training for educators and staff—teaching them how to support students wrestling with trauma or mental health challenges—isn't just helpful, it's absolutely essential. Without it, even the best-intentioned adults can miss the signs that matter most.
Now here's the game-changer: providing accessible mental health services right within the school setting helps students and families get support before a crisis erupts. When you build strong relationships between students, teachers, and families, you're creating a network of trust—and that makes all the difference in whether students will actually reach out when they're struggling or notice warning signs in their peers. Encouraging students to talk openly about their feelings and concerns (and making sure they know exactly where to turn for help) can be the difference between prevention and tragedy.
Community members, educators, and families—you all play a role in maintaining school safety. By working together to create safe, inclusive environments and tapping into resources from organizations like SAMHSA, school communities can help prevent tragedies and support students' mental health and well-being every single day. It's not about perfection—it's about showing up consistently and building the kind of environment where everyone feels they belong.
Saving Lives Through Effective Response
When a school shooting or other traumatic event hits—and let's be honest, it hits hard—a swift and coordinated response becomes your lifeline for saving lives and supporting those caught in the aftermath. Picture this: immediate actions like providing medical care, crisis counseling, and emotional support can literally make the difference between drowning and finding solid ground after violence tears through a community. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) throws you a crucial lifeline here—including their Disaster Distress Helpline—helping students, educators, and families navigate the intense emotional storm that follows these devastating events.
Here's the thing: educators and community members often find themselves on the front lines of healing—supporting grieving students and helping them unpack their emotions in the wake of trauma. Creating that safe space where students can talk about their feelings, fears, and concerns? That's not just helpful—it's essential for genuine healing to take root. Open conversations in the classroom and at home help normalize those big, overwhelming emotions and break down the walls of isolation that trauma loves to build around survivors.
But here's what many people miss: ongoing support carries just as much weight as that initial response—maybe more. Providing access to mental health services, counseling, and peer support groups helps affected individuals and communities process trauma over the long haul, not just in those first raw days. Schools can partner with local mental health providers and organizations to ensure that resources stick around long after the immediate crisis fades from headlines—because healing doesn't follow news cycles.
By responding quickly and compassionately—and by keeping your focus locked on both immediate and long-term support—school communities can help save lives and build real resilience from the ground up. Encouraging students and families to seek help, talk openly about their struggles, and tap into available resources? That's your roadmap to recovery. Together, we can help those affected by school shootings and other traumatic events find hope, healing, and a steady path forward through even the darkest chapters.
When Should You Seek Professional Help?
While many people recover with support from friends and family, some benefit from professional mental health services. Consider seeking help if:
Symptoms persist for more than two months or worsen over time
Reactions significantly interfere with work, relationships, or daily activities
You experience thoughts of self-harm or suicide
Extreme avoidance continues (unable to return to campus or normal activities)
You notice significant changes in your personality or substance abuse patterns
You feel stuck rather than gradually improving
Seeking help is not a sign of failure. It's a practical decision to use tools that work. You wouldn't hesitate to see a doctor for a broken bone—trauma affects your mental health in ways that sometimes require professional treatment.
We often remind clients that trauma treatment isn't about forgetting what happened or "getting over it" quickly. It's about processing the experience so it doesn't continue hijacking your present. We've worked with college students months after campus violence who kept pushing through, trying to function normally, until they finally came in and realized how much emotional space the trauma was occupying. Earlier treatment typically means faster recovery, though it's never too late to get support.
What Treatments Actually Work for Trauma?
Research shows certain therapies are highly effective for people who develop ongoing symptoms after traumatic events. These aren’t experimental treatments—they have strong evidence backing them.
Adolescent psychiatry is a specialized field focused on the psychological and developmental impacts of trauma on youth. Professionals in adolescent psychiatry can provide targeted support for children and adolescents exposed to school shootings.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you understand connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Trauma-focused CBT has strong evidence showing it reduces post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, and depression. It can be provided individually or in groups and typically involves 8-16 sessions.
In CBT for trauma, you learn to identify thoughts that keep you stuck (like "Nowhere is safe" or "I should have done something different") and develop more balanced, realistic ways of thinking about what happened.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
TF-CBT is a specific type designed for trauma with particularly strong research support. It includes processing the traumatic memory in a safe, structured way and helps reduce avoidance that keeps symptoms active.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR helps process traumatic memories and has been shown to be effective for reducing trauma symptoms. It doesn't require talking in detail about the event, which some people find easier than traditional talk therapy.
All of these treatments work. The "best" approach is the one that fits your preferences and that you'll actually engage with. A skilled trauma therapist can help you decide what makes sense for your situation.
Campus and Community Resources in Providence
Many colleges and universities offer mental health services specifically for students and sometimes for faculty. Campus-based trauma interventions can effectively reduce post-traumatic stress and other symptoms in students and youth exposed to violence.
Brown University offers Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for students, with crisis stabilization and ongoing mental health treatment available.
Providence-area resources:
Family Service of Rhode Island: 24/7 crisis hotline and drop-in center at 55 Hope Street, Providence
Providence Schools website: Lists student mental health resources and hotlines serving the broader community
Rhode Island statewide resources:
Kids' Link RI: Free, confidential 24/7 hotline connecting families to experienced clinicians
United Way 2-1-1: Free referrals to local mental health and emergency services
Day One RI: Advocates to help survivors access healing resources
National crisis resources (available 24/7):
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 for anyone in emotional distress or suicidal crisis
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990 for crisis counseling related to disasters and mass violence
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) provides confidential information for individuals and families facing mental health concerns
Supporting Others Who Are Struggling
If you're concerned about a friend, family member, colleague, or student:
Check in regularly and listen without judgment
Encourage them to seek help if they're struggling
Offer to accompany them to counseling or support services
Take any mention of self-harm or suicide seriously and get help immediately
Remember to take care of yourself too—supporting others through trauma can be emotionally taxing
For educators, caregivers, and colleagues: Creating a safe and supportive environment matters tremendously. Adults play a critical role in helping students cope with anxiety about school shootings. Validate people's feelings, maintain normal routines when possible, discuss the event with age-appropriate honesty, and connect struggling students or colleagues to mental health resources. You don't need to be a therapist—sometimes just acknowledging how difficult this is helps people feel less alone.
The Coalition to Support Grieving Students encourages educators to discuss traumatic events with students in supportive ways that acknowledge the reality while helping them cope.
The Broader Impact of School Shootings
It's important to acknowledge that gun violence at schools affects entire communities, not just those physically present. Research shows that students exposed to school shootings experience increased rates of mental health concerns, academic difficulties, and long-term effects on education and employment outcomes.
More than 100,000 American children and adolescents attended a school where a shooting occurred in 2018 and 2019 alone. Studies show that in the two years following a shooting, exposed students experienced increased school absences, were less likely to graduate high school and attend college, and faced employment challenges with lower earnings in their mid-20s.
The impact extends far beyond the immediate victims and ripples through families, communities, and school settings for years. If you're struggling even though you weren't directly involved, your reactions are valid and deserve support.
Moving Forward
Recovery from trauma doesn't mean forgetting what happened or returning to exactly how things were before. It means integrating the experience so it no longer dominates your emotional life. Most people can recover and build meaningful lives after experiencing trauma, especially with appropriate support and resources.
From a trauma-informed perspective, we see recovery as expanding what you can hold—not erasing what happened. Many clients worry they'll never feel normal again after campus violence. What we've consistently observed is that people don't return to who they were before; they develop a deeper capacity to hold difficult experiences alongside joy, purpose, and connection. Healing doesn't mean the trauma disappears. It means it takes up less space in your present.
If you're struggling with fear, anxiety, trouble sleeping, or other trauma symptoms after the Brown University shooting or any school violence, the therapists at Providence Therapy Group are here to help. We provide evidence-based trauma treatment in a safe, supportive environment. Schedule an appointment to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About Coping with Trauma After a School Shooting
How can school communities support students after a tragedy occurs?
School communities play a vital role in supporting students by creating safe and supportive environments. This includes providing access to mental health resources, fostering open communication in classrooms, encouraging students to express their feelings, and offering age-appropriate information. Educators and parents should work together to help students manage intense reactions and maintain normal daily routines.
What resources are available through the Mental Health Services Administration for trauma recovery?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers several resources, including the Disaster Distress Helpline, which provides 24/7 crisis counseling for those affected by traumatic events such as school shootings. SAMHSA also provides a National Helpline for confidential information and support related to mental health and substance use disorders.
What are some tips for parents to help their children cope after a school shooting?
Parents can support their children by validating their feelings, limiting media exposure to reduce anxiety, maintaining regular daily routines, and encouraging open conversations about the event with age-appropriate honesty. It is also important to watch for changes in behavior or sleep patterns that may indicate distress and seek professional help if needed.
Why is it important to encourage students to talk about their feelings in the classroom?
Encouraging students to discuss their feelings helps normalize their emotional responses and reduces feelings of isolation. It fosters a supportive classroom environment where students can process trauma together, which can aid in healing and resilience. This approach also helps educators identify students who may need additional support.
How does society benefit from providing support to survivors of school shootings?
Providing comprehensive support to survivors helps reduce long-term mental health issues and educational disruptions, enabling affected youth to recover and thrive. This support ultimately contributes to safer, healthier school communities and society at large by promoting healing, resilience, and the prevention of future tragedies.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition. If you are in crisis or experiencing thoughts of self-harm, please call 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room.