The American Counseling Association (ACA) wishes to convey our deepest sympathies to those who have been harmed in the Orlando shooting this weekend, friends and family who have lost someone, and the community affected by this tragedy.
ACA President Thelma Duffey said: “The effects of a tragedy of this magnitude can have a profound impact on people throughout the country and the world.”
David Kaplan, Chief Professional Officer of ACA, says that the scope of this tragedy makes it reverberate throughout the community. He encourages those who want to support the local Orlando LGBTQ community to donate to The GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (www.thecenterorlando.org), an Orlando non-profit that promotes and empowers the LGBTQ community and its allies.
Events like this can cause a ripple effect in the Orlando and LGBTQ communities and will require long-term attention and support. One consequence that we want counselors across the country to be on the look-out for is vicarious trauma - when individuals feel traumatized by the incident even if they were not there when it occurred. Given that people process trauma differently, counselors are called to uniquely attend to the needs of each individual client.
We encourage counselors to lend support for those suffering from this devastating loss in any way they can. For resources related to trauma counseling, please see the items in this fact sheet (Fact Sheet 10 - 1:1 Crisis Counseling).