DepEd helps Tacloban school heal trauma

HEALING BEGINS Students and teachers of San Jose National High School attend a psychological first aid session at St. Roch the Healer Parish church in Tacloban City following the June 22 mass shooting. —JOEY A. GABIETA

TACLOBAN CITY – Hoping to help students and teachers recover from the trauma of the June 22 mass shooting at San Jose National High School (SJNHS), the Department of Education (DepEd) has completed a three-day psychological intervention.

The initiative forms part of DepEd’s immediate response to help the school community cope with the tragedy and gradually return to normalcy, according to DepEd Tacloban Schools Division senior guidance coordinator Julienne Rosa Saballa.

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READ: Criminal raps vs 15-year-old; rehab for younger suspect

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Saballa said the program was conducted in partnership with the Department of Health, mental health professionals, government agencies, and faith-based organizations to provide emotional support to students, teachers and school personnel affected by the incident.

All teaching personnel underwent the intervention, while priority was given to students who directly witnessed or were most affected by the shooting.

“If these experiences are not addressed now, they may manifest later in adulthood. Among students, one sign is when they no longer want to attend classes or lose interest in school, and that could have a significant impact on their future,” Saballa told the Inquirer.

She said early psychosocial intervention is crucial in preventing long-term mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances and social withdrawal.

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Listening

Tacloban City health officer Dr. Gloria Fabrigas said the sessions were especially important for students who witnessed the shooting firsthand, including close friends of the victims.

“Some cried. We just listened,” Fabregas said, describing how students were encouraged to share their fears, grief, and anxiety in a safe environment.

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“We have here some of the best friends of the students who died in the shooting. This is part of their healing process. They have suffered anxiety, fear and worry,” she added.

One Grade 12 student who joined the sessions said he could not sleep or eat in the days following the attack because he kept hearing the screams and gunshots in his mind.

“I was not able to sleep the night after it happened. I was restless. I could not eat. It was as if I could still hear the screams and the gunshots,” he said.

After completing the three-day intervention, the student said, “I felt comforted.”

The sessions, held at St. Roch the Healer Parish church and San Jose Parish church, included storytelling, art therapy, emotional processing, and individual and group counseling to help participants regain a sense of safety and begin healing.

DepEd said the intervention follows the Psychological First Aid framework anchored on the principles of “look, listen, and link” and forms part of the agency’s continuing efforts to restore normalcy at SJNHS.

The campus shooting claimed the lives of three students and injured at least 20 others.

One of those killed was 15-year-old Lorenz Fabian, who has been hailed as a hero after he stood near the classroom door and tried to stop one of the gunmen from entering while shots were being fired through a window.

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP)-Tacloban Council paid tribute to Fabian, who was a senior scout.

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The 14- and 15-year-old suspects are being held separately at a Department of Social Welfare and Development rehabilitation facility, where they are undergoing the standard rehabilitation program for children in conflict with the law.