Remember that healing takes time

Northern Illinois University students, staff and their families should not hesitate to seek counseling from loved ones and professionals in the aftermath of Thursday's tragic shooting to begin the healing process, experts said Friday.

Witnessing such acts of extreme violence can cause depression and anxiety, which in turn can lead to anxiety disorders and even post-traumatic stress disorder, experts said.

"After a traumatic event --and this was a tremendously tragic and traumatic event --everyone will have some symptoms, including sleep problems, anxiety, depressive symptoms, most of which will be normal," said Dr. Daniel Yohanna, clinical mission director at University of Chicago Medical Center and associate professor of psychiatry. "Most people, with the support of their friends and family, and opportunities to talk about what happened and go back to other activities, will recover."

Recognizing those symptoms is the first step toward managing them, said Allison Johnsen, a licensed clinical professional counselor at the Heartland Institute in Elburn.

"If people know what the symptoms are, if they seek education and help on what to do about it, that's more than half the battle," Johnsen said.

Facing fears -- whether going back to a class at Cole Hall, where the shootings took place, or connecting with classmates even when it brings back bad memories -- is another step in the healing process Johnsen described.

"The immediate thing is conquering the fear of going back in the classroom for those kids," Johnsen said. "The best way to do it is just to go do it, not avoid the feared situation because that makes it worse. But that's a hard thing to ask somebody to do."

Professional counselors are available in several locations on the NIU campus. Students and others also can call community hotlines and local hospitals for help.

It's important to remember that healing takes time, and not everyone heals at the same pace, said Jordon Wolf, manager of clinical social services at Hospice of Northeastern Illinois in Barrington.

He encouraged students and other members of the NIU community to participate in candlelight vigils, memorial services and other social events as part of the mourning process.

"What that does for people, it really solidifies that this event really did happen," Wolf said.

Tips on dealing with anxiety, loss

Experts offered the following tips for students, staff and other members of the NIU community in the aftermath of Thursday's shootings:

• Talk about it: Ask for support from people who care about you and who will listen to your concerns. It often helps to speak with others who have shared your experience so you don't feel so different or alone.

• Strive for balance: When a tragedy occurs, it's easy to become overwhelmed. Remind yourself of people and events that are meaningful and comforting, even encouraging.

• Turn it off and take a break: You may want to keep informed, but try to limit the amount of news you take in, whether it's from the Internet, television, newspapers or magazines. Being overexposed to media can increase your stress. The images can be very powerful in reawakening feeling of distress.

• Honor your feelings: Remember that it is common to have a range of emotions after a traumatic incident. You might feel exhausted, sore or off-balance.

• Take care of yourself: Eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of rest and build physical activity into your day. Avoid alcohol and drugs, because they can suppress your feelings rather than help you to manage and lessen your distress.

• If you have recently lost friends in this or other tragedies: Give yourself time to experience your feelings and to recover. For some, this might involve staying at home; for others it may mean getting back to school or work. Dealing with the shock and trauma of such an event will take time. It is typical to expect ups and downs, including "survivor guilt"-- feeling bad you escaped the tragedy while others did not.

Source: American Psychological Association

Help is available

NIU Students, staff and their families coping with grief and anxiety related to Thursday's tragedy can contact any of the following agencies:

• Rainbow Hospice: For people who have lost loved one through any means. Groups for teens, families, general grief, parent loss, adult loss of siblings. Individual counseling available. Based in Park Ridge. (847) 692-8884 and online at www.rainbowhospice.com.

• Hospice of the North Shore: (847) 467-7423.

• Hospice of Northeastern Illinois. Based in Barrington. (847) 381-5599 and online at www.hospiceanswers.org/griefsupport.html.

• Any hospital. Most major hospitals will have grief support help available, through groups and individual counseling.

• Hospice of DuPage. Based in Carol Stream. (630) 690-9000.

• Fox Valley Hospice: (630) 208-6754.

• Heartland Counseling, Elburn: (630) 365-0899.

• McHenry County Crisis Line: (800) 892-8900.

• Suicide Prevention Services, based in Batavia. (630) 482-9696.

• Crisis Line of the Fox Valley: (630) 966-9393.

• Depression hotline: (800) SUICIDE.

• National Crisis Help Line: (800) 273-TALK.

• 24-hour crisis hotline, DuPage County: (630) 627-1700.

• Information and advocacy: National Alliance on Mental Illness, DuPage. (630) 752-0066.