MARYSVILLE — It’ll soon be summer vacation for students at Marysville Pilchuck High School and plans are under way to open a place for them to talk to counselors and attend support groups while they continue to deal with the trauma of the October shootings.
Therapists have been stationed at the high school since November, offering students one-on-one counseling and leading support groups. More than 100 students have participated.
The community recovery team wants to continue these services for teens during the summer months and had been looking for an accessible location. It had hoped a federal grant would be in place to pay for an office in Marysville along a bus line. The team learned last month that the grant likely won’t be available until December.
A property owner learned about the delay after reading a story in The Herald and offered to donate some space.
“If we get the federal grant, we’ll reimburse for the rent. If we don’t, it’ll be donated,” said Marge Martin, the executive director of Victim Support Services.
The team recognized that summer vacation could be difficult for students.
“Over the course of the school year we’ve had our collective arms around them and there has been a support network,” Martin said. “We want to make sure they have a place to go if they need to talk.”
Some students have mixed emotions about the upcoming break, therapist Nancy Hawley said.
She and fellow therapist Michelle Pauley have been meeting with students at the high school to deal with the fallout from the violence.
Seven months ago a freshman invited his friends to sit with him at lunch in one of the school’s cafeterias and opened fire with his dad’s handgun. Five students, including the shooter, died. One boy, shot in the jaw, survived.
There were more than 100 students in the cafeteria at the time of the shooting. Hundreds more fled the school or hid until police officers escorted them from the scene.
The high school was closed for a week after the killings but has been in session since.
Some students are looking forward to summer vacation but also are anxious about the change in their routine and being away from their friends, school counselors and teachers, Hawley said. Their peers and teachers understand what they’re going through. There is a camaraderie among the survivors.
“This is where they feel safe,” Hawley said.
It also might be difficult for parents worried that their children will have more time on their hands and won’t be under the supervision of teachers throughout the day.
“That might be really scary for working parents,” Hawley said.
Students interested in attending sessions this summer should contact the school or call Victim Support Services. The team is not publicizing the location of the counseling center to protect students’ privacy. They don’t want media showing up. They also understand that there remains a stigma surrounding people who seek mental health services.
Sometimes people don’t seek help because they’re afraid, Hawley said.
“It may seem easier to avoid it than face it, but in the long run it’s much better to talk about it and face it,” she said.
Students should know that there are others who feel like they do and are hurting like they are. They should know that there is nothing wrong with asking for help, Hawley said.
“It sounds really scary. That first step is probably the scariest,” she said. “They aren’t alone though.”
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
For help
To learn more about the counseling services and support groups being offered this summer for Marysville Pilchuck High School students and other youth in the area, call Victim Support Services at 800-346-7555. Teens can schedule appointments to set up one-on-one counseling or join a support group. The sessions will be offered in Marysville.
To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 800-273-8255 (800-273-TALK) or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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