Shots Fired on Campus:

A Counselor’s Story

Jack Hernandez Ed.D., LPC

Lone Star College-North Harris

Original title:

Shots Fired at Lone Star College- North Harris,

Stabbing at Lone Star College-Cy Fair…news at 11pm.

Participants Survey and Reflection

• Community College or university attendee?

• Number of years experience in education: 0-5, 6-10, 11-20, 21 +

• What if any, general issues have you had on your campus with respect to: violence/crisis/emergencies/trauma?

• How confident are you in your college and or your counseling team’s ability to respond appropriately toward a shooting or similar incident?

– (1= little confidence)

– (3= moderate confidence)

– (5= great confidence)

Scratch and sniff for school excitement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxQMfKXyn4

Lone Star College System

National School Violence Timeline

http://left.wikia.com/wiki/School_Shooting_Tim

eline

LSC-North Harris Counselings Response to Past

Emergencies/Crisis

• September 11, 2001

– Email to campus community regarding services and availability

• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 2005 (typo on handout)

– Email to campus community regarding services and availability

– Informational resources/ handouts

– Presence on campus (table)

– Workshop on stress management and Biofeedback

• Previous campus student/faculty/staff deaths

– Processing with workgroup/student group

– Informational resources/handouts

Lone Star College-North Harris

1/22/2013

Primary Individuals Caught Up in Incident

Carlton Berry-22 (student) shot around buttocks area. Initially charged withshooting but charges latter dropped. Allegedly was with Foster during the shooting

Jodie Neal-24 (student) shot three times. Allegedly arguing with Trey Foster.

Trey Foster-22 (student) apprehended 3 days later in Plano, TX. Charged as second suspect. Reply to reporter question of what prompted the shooting:

« Someone bumped me »

Bobby Cliburn-69 (maintenance man/innocent bystander) shot in leg

Female student taken to hospital with breathing/heart related difficulties

News coverage of shooting at Lone Star College-

North Harris

Scratch and sniff for fear and anxiety

Pictures:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/gallery?section=news/local&id=896

3813&photo=1&pid=8963781

Video coverage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSSv-6Zqs94

The Campus Efforts to Restore Stability

• Faculty/staff forums

• Student forums

• EAP counselors and Systems office personnel onsite

• Active Shooter Training Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNbTkkGZHRk

• Gun Violence Field Briefing at LSC-Victory Center-

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Lone Star College initiatives Not Pursued

to curtail aggressive behaviors on campuses

• Aggression Management Mondays

– (for students, faculty, staff [especially

counselors])

• Official MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

training site MMA news, fighter profiles and

events – Mixed Martial Arts

• SACS accredited CHL licensing,

training, and weapons dealing site

• Bobo Doll Giveaways

Shots Fired on Campus…

(Approximately 12:15 pm Tuesday, January 15)

• Initial call from the Biology Tutoring Lab (still get

reminded of this one)

• Initial shout-out for a counselor (here comes trouble)

• “Everyone outside”-clear the building- bathroom

check (AKA: fight or flight time)

• Students dismissed (like the final scene from Ferris

Bueler’s Day Off)

• Faculty staff dismissed as the day progressed

– How long would you have stayed on campus?

Anatomy of a Mental Health Emergency

Response Plan

Meeting with Houston Red Cross volunteer

Dr. Rebecca Hamlin

Red Cross Plan Essentials

• Checking in on students, faculty, and staff in the

ensuing days with Psychological First Aid (PFA)

• Workshops, roundtables

• Psychological First Aid Training to faculty/staff

• After Action Report

• Being vigilant later: 6 month anniversary and

PTSS???

Were Going to Need a Bigger Boat!

A call to counselors

across the Lone Star College System

“Checking In” with Psychological First Aid

• Some Principles of PFA

– Making a connection

– Compassion

– helping those impacted with basic needs

– Listening

– Realistic assurance

– Encouraging good coping

– Reduce distress and improve functioning

– Instill hope

Being Ready to Receive Students at the

Counseling Office and an alternate Staging Area

• Anxiety, sleeplessness/nightmares, concentration

difficulties, crying spells, hypervigilance

• The story of Tawana, in the Learning Center

studying and conversing with a Student Affairs

Dean on past achievements/persistence

• The story of Inez, in the Academic Bldg. (2nd floor)

waiting to present to one student organization

then go downstairs to present to another .

Creative Counseling

•

•

• Presentation idea stemming from the students waiting in distressthe day of the shooting

• collaboration with Tawana and Inez to address their needs and the needs of others dealing with crisis

• Presentation title:

Who Moved My Keys?

Who Moved my Keys lessons similar to Who

moved my Cheese

• The Lesson

• * It's not good when you are so afraid that it keeps you from doing anything, BUT it's better late than never.

• * Take control, rather than let things happen to you.

• * When you stop being afraid, you feel good.

• * Movement in a new direction helps you find something new.

• * The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.

Sample of Scenarios Covered in Training of PFA

• Tornado

• Fire on campus

• Shooter on campus and all students on lock down

• Fire at student apartment with fatalities

• Student living in shelter after a flood

• The co-worker who witnessed the shooting and

having symptoms

After Action Report

• Positives:– Accepting assistance when offered from experts in

emergency/disaster and relief (e.g. Red Cross)

– Counseling response to an incident on campus. Creating a sense of urgency to initiate and communicate a plan to administration then the campus.

– Seeking and finding support from peers in counseling across system

– A call for support from campus colleagues to assist with PFA with students and peers and finding volunteers.

– An offer to communicate a message directly to faculty on how to address the issue in class.

– Communicating Services to the Campus community

– Collaborating with faculty, College Relations, etc.

After Action Report

• Could have done more/attempted:

– Identifying classmates of students injured or of alleged shooter

and offering PFA in these classrooms (with approval of

instructor) (We did to some degree but more-so with other

classes)

– PFA from Counseling Services displayed on electronic monitors

on campus during ensuing days of incident (e.g., Coping with

stressors tips, Symptoms to be aware of, Counseling Services,

etc)

After Action Report

• Future ideas or funding opportunities:– Recruitment of student/student organization members for training in

PFA

– Securing funding for technology applications and support that allow campuses to become more proactive in keeping campuses safe (e.g. conduct/threat software)

– Psychological First Aid Online Training for faculty and staff-The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

http://learn.nctsn.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=3119

– At Risk Online Training for colleges and Universities

– www.kognitocampus.com/faculty/tx

– www.kognitocampus.com/students/tx

– support@kognito.com

The After Story:

Preparing a campus with the BIT

Get Bit!

BIT Brown Bag Consults

The After Story:

A follow-up with Tawana

I am doing very well.

Graduated in May

Shortly afterwards, landed a wonderful job at a major hospital working in

Wound care and Hyperbaric dept.

It is quite interesting but I am enjoying it.

The After Story:

A follow-up with Lana (Staff whose office was located near the shooting)

The first one is after I took my first lesson at a gun range. The second one is after several lessons over the summer. This target is a practice during rapid firing (I do better with rapid fire). I use black decals to cover up the bullet holes in order to reuse my target. My husband also taught me how to take apart, clean, and put my weapon back together. My husband is

already an expert shooter but we both felt it was necessary for me to learn how to handle my weapon, just in case another incident occurs.

The After Story:

A follow-up with Lana (Staff located near shooting)

Survey

Are students from neighborhoods where crime is more prevalent desensitized to incidents of violence? Are they immune to violent behavior and able to quickly move on with their lives after an incident?

Take-Aways

Lone Star College-North Harris

Jack Hernandez Ed.D., LPC

Counselor

• Psychological First Aid is an essential first step after a trauma

• Have a plan in place but also maintain flexibility to create spontaneous programming and collaboration with students, faculty, and staff

• Connect programming and initiatives to Counseling Services, BIT, etc. (Branding)

• Importance of self-care is critical

• Counselors are an integral part of an emergency/crisis plan

• Stay positive and optimistice!

Questions???

Look! Someone left the gate

open.