'Don't rush it. Be with it': Community reflects on mental health after campus shooting

As the University community mourns UNC associate professor Zijie Yan and students process the Aug. 28 campus shooting, Counseling and Psychological Services, Hugs and Pups Posse - Encouraging and Empowering and other organizations have worked to provide mental health resources.

CAPS was stationed at the Student Union and Student and Academic Services Building North in addition to its own facility on Aug. 29 and 30 while the University was under Condition 3 status. Multiple locations helped ensure students had easy access to counseling, Avery Cook, the director of CAPS, said.

“I don't want any student on this campus to feel alone in this or any other experience,” Cook said. “We want to make sure that folks know that there are lots of different resources and support out there for them, and that they can access those when they need.”

They also emphasized the counseling service’s 24-hour phone number for University members to contact a CAPS therapist — (919) 966-3658.

“We want folks to be able to listen to whatever it is they need, and then make sure that those needs are met,” Cook said.

UNC is hosting a mental health seminar on Thursday from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom for all students, faculty and staff following the lockdown on Aug. 28. The University’s other available mental health services, including peer support, suicide prevention hotlines and care referrals, can be found at the Heels Care Network. 

However, some students say they’re more comfortable connecting with mental health services not provided by UNC.

UNC student Chloe Taylor said she’s wary about reaching out to CAPS because she’s heard complaints about the quality of University mental health resources from her peers. 

“Now is not the time to not have great mental health resources,” she said.

Taylor added she spoke to a trusted community member from her hometown after the shooting rather than going through the University.

Sue Estroff, a UNC psychiatry professor, said it’s going to take people time to recognize their feelings, and there can’t be a deadline for when things will return to normal.

“Don't rush it. Be with it. It's not something you can take an Aspirin for, but to live with it and try to learn from it,” she said. “What are doable things for me that I find calming or nourishing or in any way contributing to the place that I live in?”

For students seeking help through CAPS, Cook said they want students to know that they can utilize the Heels Care Network to find a resource that feels comfortable to them and that whatever they are feeling after the shooting is valid.

Many students may have a variety of responses to the events of Aug. 28, such as trouble concentrating, intense memories from the lockdown, irritability and trouble sleeping, Cook said.

“All of those are really normal responses, and they're usually very temporary,” they also said.

Some students found solace on campus by engaging with HAPPEE — an organization that seeks to aid college students’ mental health by offering comfort from dogs.  

Heidi Jo Hetland, one of the original HAPPEE volunteers and a member of the program leadership team, said she hopes the pups provide “a sigh of relief” for students as they process and recover from events of Aug. 28 and find community.

“A lot of times people meet other students here and we see them walk away together or exchange numbers,” Hetland said.

While CAPS and other resources are important, Estroff said what the community can do “with and among each other” to build resolve is the most valuable thing.

“The day after the shooting, I've never seen so many people outside exercising, going on walks and going out and doing things with their friends,” Taylor said.

Estroff also calls for an adjustment in how University members treat each other on a daily basis.

“We need to take stock of how we are with each other — up and down the line, not just students, but all of us and check our grievances at the door, if you have them,” she said.

There was a sense of unity throughout the University last week, Estroff said. Although, she wondered if that togetherness would last beyond the next few weeks.

“Something broke on Monday," Estroff said. "Something that we all thought was there. And in a way it's tragic, but it also is a reality check."

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