ABSTRACT
Sixty-one years later, children all too often hear news of gun violence in schools and neighborhoods. By May 1, 2019, there were 17,255-gun violence incidents reported in the United States, which included 4,538 deaths, 188 children killed or injured, and 578 home invasions. The counselor used clarification, summary, and a simple timeline to help the students develop a chronological narrative including incident details and their own roles, as well as those of family members who helped achieve safety for the families and neighborhood. Counseling and empathizing several hours in a day with children traumatized by gun violence can result in counselors' vicarious trauma, burnout, or a reexperiencing their own past traumas. In at-risk schools like the one in this scenario, various students experience crises on campus, in their neighborhood, or at home throughout the year. Research indicates that gun violence exposure is significantly associated with traumatic stress among youths.
