wfn.org | Lutherans Offer Counseling, Trauma Services In Red Lake

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 22, 2005

Lutherans Offer Counseling, Trauma Services In Red Lake
05-049-MRC

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, St.
Paul, is offering professional counseling and trauma support
services in Red Lake, Minn., after a student killed five others
students, a teacher and school security guard, and wounded
several others at Red Lake High School before killing himself
March 21.  Other victims included the student's grandfather and
the grandfather's wife.
     Red Lake High School is located on the Red Lake Reservation
in northern Minnesota.	Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota is
offering grief support services to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa,
families, friends and others in the Red Lake community.
     According to Melanie Josephson Davis, director of disaster
response, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, communities of
faith can respond by providing "safety and security.  In the
first few days, people are experiencing trauma, and it is so
important to help people feel safe."
     "Survivors need to ventilate and validate, which is
expressing their emotions and having someone to listen and
validate their feelings and thoughts.  As the impact of loss
begins to sink in, people need to be there to provide long-term
grief support.	Helping people affected by trauma to explore and
determine how they can learn from the trauma, become stronger and
get the help they need during a difficult time are also
important," she said.  "Congregations in the area also need to be
open to receive people and help them as they're struggling."
     Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is
a partner organization of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota.
     "Lutheran Disaster Response will support its partner
organization in any way needed to provide the kind of counseling
work and grief processing that will need to take place in this
community.  We are willing and ready," said Heather L. Feltman,
director of Lutheran Disaster Response.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news