The National Council and our members across the country extend deepest sympathies to the students, faculty, and administration at Northern Illinois University as well as their friends, families and loved ones. We know that the February 14 campus shooting will leave indelible scars.

 

Community behavioral health providers in Illinois are today facing an incredible challenge in caring not only for those directly affected by the tragedy but also in supporting an entire community around the college.The Ben Gordon Center in Dekalb, Illinois—a National Council member organization—immediately reached out to university officials, coordinated with state authorities, and collaborated with crisis experts from across the country to expand services to help the entire community cope with the tragedy and begin the long path to healing. Other National Council members in Illinois are also mobilizing to provide care and assistance. 

The Ben Gordon Center shares the following message.

Ben Gordon Center Expands Community Support Services

Our community is saddened and stunned by the events that unfolded yesterday afternoon at Northern Illinois University. While we extend our deepest sympathies to the victims’ families, friends and classmates, we also focus our attention on the impact of the tragedy on our community as a whole.

As we continue to learn new details and watch the ongoing media coverage, it is natural that we may all experience sadness, outrage and/or fear. Children, college-aged youth and parents may be particularly anxious as this event hit so close to home.

The Ben Gordon Center offers the following guidelines to help the families in our community cope with the tragedy and the natural emotions it may trigger.

• Recognize that it is natural to experience a range of emotions after a tragedy, even one that did not directly impact your family.  Reinforce that the emotions students feel are understandable and “normal.”
• Reach out to friends, family and faith leaders to share your grief, sadness and anger over the situation.  Talking about your reaction will help you work through the emotion.
• Limit your television viewing: round-the-clock viewing can increase stress.
• Participate in community memorials or services held to honor the victims and survivors of the shooting.
• Take steps to increase your own − and your family’s − sense of well-being. Talk about how to handle an unexpected crisis, learn about the disaster response and communication plans at your child’s school, and/or develop a family safety plan. Encourage college-aged youth to share their own concerns with university leadership or to work with their peers to “do something positive.”  Sororities, fraternities, and clubs can develop educational programs or can support memorial efforts; individuals may want to volunteer to staff peer hotlines.
• Allow your college-aged child to react in his/her own way. Many may minimize their concerns to you, but may process the tragedy internally. Understand that they may become withdrawn or even argumentative as process their cope with their own emotions. 
• Keep the family dialogue open and identify ways to spend more time together, if possible. Have dinner together, touch base during the day via telephone, or email regularly with students who are away from home.
• Avoid drugs or excessive alcohol which may seem to temporarily relieve stress, but can actually compound stress and sadness.
• Understand that individuals who have experienced depression, anxiety, or past trauma may be particularly vulnerable to the emotion generated by the tragedy. Connect with them to show your support and encourage them to talk with a mental health professional.
• Ask for help when you need it.  If your feelings do not go away or intensify to the point that they interfere in your daily life, talk with a doctor, mental health professional or faith leader.
  
  The Ben Gordon Center is committed to helping our community heal.  Please know that you do not have to be suicidal or in immediate crisis to reach out to us.  We are here to help individuals and families cope with this tragedy. Please call us at 815-756-4875 in DeKalb or 815-786-7544 in Sandwich or on the 24 hour crisis line BGC Response at 1-866-BGC-0111.