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Metro provides counseling in tragedy's wake
By David Pollan
dpollan@mscd.edu

In response to the hostage situation and murder at Platte Canyon High School last week, Metro’s Counseling Center is offering counseling to those who have been directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy.

Gail Bruce-Sanford, director of the Counseling Center, said the purpose of the counseling is to offer support to students, staff or faculty who may need individual time and comfort to deal with the emotions stirred up by such a tragedy.

Regarding the events at Platte Canyon, Bruce-Sanford said, “This tragic event triggers reactions in people who have been previously victimized.”

On Sept. 28, Duane Morrison, 53, entered Platte Canyon High School wielding a handgun. He selected six female students to take hostage and sexually assaulted them.

During four hours of negotiations with authorities, Morrison released four hostages one by one. After Morrison cut off negotiations with authorities, a SWAT team used explosives to enter the classroom. As the SWAT team entered, one of the hostages attempted to escape and was shot in the back of the head by Morrison. Morrison then turned the gun on himself and took his own life.

Emily Keyes, 16, died at 4:32 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Denver’s St. Anthony Central Hospital from a gunshot wound to the head. She had been taken to the hospital via a Flight for Life helicopter.

The other hostage in the classroom was not physically injured but had been sexually assaulted.

The counseling is not just for those who were directly affected by the hostage situation and murder at Platte Canyon, Bruce-Sanford said, but also for those who have been traumatized by similar events. Bruce-Sanford specifically noted the massacre at Columbine High School, in which two Columbine students stormed the school with explosives and automatic weapons on April 20, 1999, taking the lives of 12 students and one teacher, and wounding 24 others before killing themselves.

“A tragedy of this kind triggers other traumas in people,” she said.

According to Bruce-Sanford, the most common counseling will be for those who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. People suffering from PTSD may experience symptoms such as anger, anxiety, increased stress and problems sleeping, Bruce-Sanford said. People may also experience nightmares, nervousness, hypervigilance, fears and insecurities. Bruce-Sanford urges all of those experiencing any of these symptoms to come in and get counseling.

The Counseling Center holds anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 individual psychotherapy sessions each year, Bruce-Sanford said. On average, each patient receives 10 sessions per academic school year.

Counseling Center services come at no charge and are strictly confidential. No records of counseling will appear on a student’s academic record, she said. The Counseling Center is located in Tivoli 651 and is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center can be reached at 303-556-3132. Interested parties can call the crisis line at 303-352-4455 after 5 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends, when the center is closed.