'Deathly afraid of school': San Antonio copes with Uvalde loss, trauma

Celeste Ibarra, mother of 9-year-old Aubriella Melchor, has witnessed her daughter deteriorating since the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School. Aubriella hid in a bathroom stall as the gunman walked past and began shooting. Now, Ibarra said her daughter hardly eats or sleeps, and when she does sleep, she has nightmares of the gunman coming after her. She said she still hears the echoes of the gunshots, still sees his feet and the AR-15 rifle sweeping past the bathroom stall where she hid. While most parents do not have as direct a connection to the Uvalde mass shooting as Ibarra and her daughter, parents across San Antonio and South Texas are struggling to speak to their children about the horrific event, even while grappling with their own difficult emotions. But there is a model, backed by decades of research, that can guide parents to help children process their reactions in a way that doesn’t cause lingering negative effects.

Using what is known as a “trauma-informed” approach means acknowledging the harms trauma can cause and encourages listening, connection and healing. The goal is to make someone who has experienced trauma, either directly or through the news, feel safe and supported enough to process their feelings. It can help parents and families, but it also can help teachers and other caregivers, workplaces seeking to support employees and in health care settings. Helping children process their emotions around a traumatic event is critical. Adverse childhood experiences can actually change the brain development of children, said Belinda Garcia-Rattenbury, executive director of University Health’s Institute for Trauma-Informed Care, resulting in long-term physical and behavioral health problems. The institute, which opened its doors in 2020, aims to prevent those long-term impacts by training health care and other organizations in Bexar County to use a trauma-informed approach to care. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the work of the institute became even more relevant, as the entire community found itself dealing with various traumas, including loss of life, income and basic stability. The institute defines trauma as “a response to a disturbing event that is challenging to cope with. Trauma can cause feelings of helplessness, a lack of self-awareness, and the inability to effectively process emotions and experiences.”