The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is a national tragedy that will take time to process. With the assassination dominating the news — and video of the shooting readily available on social media — it can be overwhelming and lead to mental health struggles.
Local counselors urge people to take a break from the news and limit how much they consume.
“I think everybody should make a decision about how much they want to pay attention to this,” said Dr. Jerry Cox, a licensed counselor in Roswell, told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
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He said practicing mindfulness and meditation — focusing on the present moment, closing out distractions — can go a long way.
“People who have experience with breathing exercises, grounding exercises, that’s always helpful,” he said. “Doing things in your routine that give you comfort.”
He said it’s important to talk with your children about what happened: Tell them the truth, answer their questions.
“Children need to be assured of their own safety, so that’s the first thing. How safe are you? Let’s talk about it,” Cox said.
Allison Bates is a licensed counselor at Summit Counseling in Johns Creek and helps children navigate their feelings after a traumatic news event.
“Be honest about it. Be upfront but in a developmentally appropriate way,” she said. “Obviously you’re not going to tell a 5-year-old about all the nitty-gritty details.”
She said it’s good for parents to point out some of the positives that came out of the tragedy, such as the heroism of the first responders. And she said the children can help in their own small way, by doing good deeds for their friends and their community.
“Just finding some way to help that kind of shifts them away from the chaos part of the brain to the compassionate, what-can-I-do side,” she said.
If a child’s reaction to tragedy is prolonged — a change in sleeping habits; feelings of fear, sadness and rumination — it could be time for professional counseling.
Madeline Redetzky, another counselor at Summit, said it’s important for people to reach out to others during stressful times like this.
“And that doesn’t mean just reaching to check on other people, that means actually making connections to other people,” she said.
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