by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
UNM's Counseling and Therapy Services will have a meeting Friday for students concerned about the shootings at Virginia Tech.
"It's a debriefing session for students to process their feelings in a safe environment," said Harry Linneman, director of the office. "They can sort out if what they're feeling is normal or not normal, and they can talk about it with other people."
The office has taken a few calls from students who were upset about the shootings, he said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"We've not had a large response yet," he said. "But typically, stress reactions don't occur right away. You usually get responses to that surfacing a little bit later."
All UNM students taking six or more credits per semester get two free counseling sessions at the office.
"That's a really good opportunity for students who are concerned about how they're feeling to come and see if it's something beyond the normal feelings in this situation," he said. "If anyone has any questions or concerns about their feelings, they should definitely come visit us."
Although the shootings happened across the country, it's reasonable for UNM students to be upset, he said.
"This kind of tragedy is bound to affect everybody in the country," he said. "Students at this University are going to feel some connection to other university students. They felt safe (at Virginia Tech). Now, students here are going to be thinking, 'I feel safe. Could this kind of thing happen here?'"
Student Joe Gallegos grew up in Virginia, and some of his childhood friends attend Virginia Tech.
"None of them were hurt," he said. "It's really shocking that somebody could go to any college campus - or anywhere, really - and shoot it up like that. It's baffling that any human could do that to other humans."
Gallegos said he is not considering seeking counseling, but it's good to have it available.
"If there are people who feel closer to the campus, it's definitely something that they should be able to get help with," he said. "I know some people who are pretty shaken up. It's great to have it out there."
Students could have a wide range of responses to the
shootings, Linneman said.
"Unfortunately, the kind of reactions are all over the map," he said. "With this kind of thing, they have denial about it; they have shock about it; and they have everything in between. It really runs
the gamut."
The shootings could have the biggest impact on people who had ties to the campus, he said.
"The ones we worry the most about are the ones where people feel hopeless and depressed," he said. "People who feel a close connection to that campus, or a campus like it, might feel that way. If we're lucky, nobody at UNM will have those feelings, but it's
impossible to tell."
People who have been in traumatic situations might also have severe reactions to the shootings, he said.
"If they have their own personal history of trauma, they might find that they're
thinking about it more than usual, or even having flashbacks about it," he said. "That's something to be concerned about."
Some people might not know the shootings had an impact on them, he said.
"People find themselves being anxious - waking up in the middle of the night, sweating, and they don't know why it's happening," he said. "These are normal reactions to an
abnormal situation."
Virginia Tech shootings debriefing session
Friday, 2 p.m.
Student Health Center
Room 234
277-4537
The city will hold a candle light vigil today in honor of the students who were killed at Virginia Tech. The vigil will be held on Civic Plaza at Third Street and Marquette Avenue at 7:30 p.m.
