Experts speak on mental health resources for students and community impacted by Brown University shooting

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Days after a mass shooting at Brown University, the community is still grieving.

“I can’t imagine what the Brown students are going through right now,” Roger Williams University professor Matt Zaitchik said.

With a manhunt for the shooter still ongoing, anxiety levels in the community remain high.

Family Service Rhode Island’s Sarah Kelly-Palmer said that in this stressful environment, it’s important to recognize how your body reacts to that stress.

“We all might feel a little extra jittery, we might have trouble sleeping, we might not have an appetite, we might have a really big appetite, so it can affect us physically and emotionally in ways you might not expect,” Kelly-Palmer said.

Professor Matt Zaitchik, who studies mass shootings, went to Brown University.

“I’m very personally touched by what’s going on,” Zaitchik said.

He said the lack of immediate knowledge about the shooter, as well as the spread of misinformation, has made the healing process tougher.

“We don’t know enough about to make determinations about this particular situation,” Zaitchik said. “I think that’s what makes this so difficult to cope with.”

Mental health experts said reaching out to a professional therapist or counselor and staying closely connected with a support system of friends and family can help during stressful times.

For college students, local universities have mental health counselors and programs available for students.

For parents, Kelly-Palmer said that talking about the shooting with children is important, as well as making sure to emphasize to a scared child how many people are working to keep them safe.

“It’s really important not to avoid the topic, because kids are very astute and they’re seeing and hearing things,” Kelly-Palmer said. “So it’s important to check in with your child or children and to start the conversation and see what they know.”

Family Service Rhode Island has been operating a drop-in center for community counseling services since the shooting, as well as a crisis line.

The following mental health resources are available:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org
• Family Service RI Drop-in Center and Crisis Line: (401) 854-6678
• 211: Call 2-1-1 to be connected to a trained professional 24 hours per day/seven days per week