A therapist’s views on healthy conversations about difficult topics

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - An armed 18-year-old killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school Tuesday morning.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 213 mass shootings in America in 2022 with 141 of those killed under the age of eleven.

Local mother, Sarai Renteria says soon after finding out about the Texas shooting she discussed safety protocol procedures with her youngest child.

"Since you’re a parent it just comes to you, like the fear of ‘what if’. So I just basically went over, ‘Do you know where to go, what do to?’ and he was just re-telling me the things that I’m gonna do and where to sit or where to kneel down,” said Renteria.

Community Partners Integrated Healthcare's Clinical Coordinator, Courtney Starkey, LAC shares how we can continue to remind our children they are safe.

Starting with giving them the time to openly discuss their feelings.

“Helping them to understand that a lot of the things that they see and hear may not be actual facts, so trying to give them as much as factual information as we can," said Starkey. "Helping to orient them to their own safety, what their own school policies are on protecting them if there were to be a school shooter and who they can reach out to if they aren’t feeling safe.”

Starkey says parents should offer questions to their children about how they handle difficult feelings and situations.

“You know sometimes people make decisions because they don’t have the best resources to help them when they’re struggling," said Starkey. "So, bringing the conversation again to, ‘What do you think people should do if they’re angry?’ or you know, ‘What should people do if they’re being bullied? You know what should people do if they feel like they have no one to turn to and talk to?'”

An organization named Education Week has reported 27 shootings this year and 119 school shootings since 2018.