Upcoming KAPA ZOOM CE event
How to Talk to Families About School Shootings
Kristin Dean, PhD, ABPP
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Summary:
School shootings, particularly mass school shootings, have gained increased attention in the media. Communities and families express anxiety about how to handle these events, and specifically how to talk to children and youth about what they are seeing and hearing in the media. This presentation will define the terms associated with school shootings, review the history and current prevalence rates, and present current research on what we know about mass shootings and their impact. Finally, the presentation will provide strategies for talking to children and youth, along with specific resources and interventions for reducing negative mental health outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
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discuss current demographics and findings of federal reports regarding mass school shootings (Katsiyannis et al., 2023) and
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describe the potential educational, economic (Cabral et al., 2025), and psychological (Lowe & Galea, 2017) impact of mass school shootings, and outline recommended strategies for talking to children, youth, and families about them (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2023).
Target Audience:
This program is open to all KAPA members and other interested mental health professionals who are not members. The content of this presentation is appropriate for mental health professionals educated at the graduate level in psychology, psychiatry, or other mental health related disciplines, as well as graduate students in a mental health related discipline.
Instructional Level:
The material will be appropriate to intermediate levels of practice and knowledge.
Continuing Education:
This program - when attended in its entirety - is available for 1.5 APA approved continuing education credits. With full attendance and completion of a Program Evaluation and Learning Assessment, a certificate will be issued. Partial credit will not be awarded. Participant's attendance will be verified via their Zoom login name and sign in / sign off time. Please assure that you are identifiable by your Zoom login name.
American Psychological Association Approval Statement:
The Knoxville Area Psychological Association (KAPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for Psychologists. KAPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
There is no commercial support for this program, nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, program content, research, grants, or other funding sources that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest. During the program, the validity/utility of the content and risk/limitations of their approaches will be addressed.
Registration Fees and Policies:
If you are a member of KAPA, then this program is free of charge. If you are not a member of KAPA and you do not want CE credit, this program is free of charge.
Speaker Information:
Kristin Dean, PhD, ABPP, is a board certified specialist in clinical psychology and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine - Knoxville. She is the director of the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody in Knoxville and an Adjunct Researcher for the RAND Corporation. Dr. Dean is an international trainer in several evidence-based trauma interventions and served on the Executive Board of the American Psychological Association’s Division 37 Section on Child Maltreatment.
