Counseling Fund Set for Columbine Crisis

As a parent and former high school teacher, Sara Beeby knew sending a sympathy card to Columbine High School in the aftermath of the recent bloodshed wasn’t enough.

“I knew immediate and long-term counseling would probably be required and someone would ultimately have to pay for it,” Beeby said.

She talked to people who wanted to help but didn’t know where to go or what to do. A few phone calls later, she established an account at the nonprofit Jefferson Center for Mental Health in Littleton, where anyone can contribute to help offset the costs of psychological counseling for students and their families.

Marty Babayco, district director of student services for the Ojai Unified School District, said that after an emergency or tragedy students need to know adults are there to listen and care for them, to discuss feelings and put in perspective how the event affected their lives.

Long-term care is needed to watch for long-term reactions to tragedies, said Babayco, a former psychologist. Since the April 20 tragedy in which 14 students--including the two gunmen--and a teacher died, there has been a large demand for the center’s free crisis counseling, said Judy Albers, director of development at Jefferson Center.

“In the first three days, we provided 1,600 hours of crisis counseling to people from the school and those in the immediate area who are being affected,” Albers said. “We’ve been providing debriefing and counseling to the D.A.’s office, the Police Department and school system.”

Donations can be sent to: Columbine Counseling Fund, Jefferson Center for Mental Health, 9200 W. Cross Drive, Suite 421, Littleton, CO 80123.