Professionally Led Peer Support Group Process After the School Shooting in Finland

Abstract

Background: Traumatic grief is a risk factor for psychological and physiological impairment. In a school shooting incident in Finland, several people lost their lives, and a large number of bereaved family members were at risk for traumatic grief. Psychosocial support for these bereaved was therefore essential, and this article describes a program that was developed for that purpose. Method: Professionally led peer support group process was provided for the relatives of the deceased in the school shooting in Kauhajoki, Finland, 2008. The 2-year-long process consisted of five weekend gatherings with psychoeducative and group-work elements. The content of the process was based on the existing knowledge of and recommendations for enhancing recovery after a traumatic loss. Results: On the average, 50 relatives of the deceased in the school shooting participated in the process. The process was based on the principles of (a) timing of the group work and interventions according to stages of bereavement, (b) psychoeducation, awareness rising, and recognizing the signs of posttraumatic symptoms, (c) attachment theory-based elements in parents' and siblings' grief and group

The loss of a child, bereavement and the search for meaning: A systematic review of the most recent parental interventions

“…To continue, three of the six papers (50%) that used assistance to parents in some of the above-mentioned formats showed positive results (Edson, 2021 ; Snaman et al, 2016 ; Turunen & Punamäki, 2016 ). These papers agree in the fact that support, when received from professional figures and institutions either in the form of mailings, through the guidance of support groups or simply by their presence and accompaniment, relieved the suffering of the parents at this vital moment and therefore, it is a suitable form of treatment.…”

“…This support was provided by a book created by other bereaved parents with the aim to offer assistance to those who had been recently bereaved. Secondly, another paper implemented a professionally led peer support group process where peer work took place over a period of 2 years (Turunen & Punamäki, 2016 ). Lastly, this type of intervention is also found in the study carried out by Aho et al ( 2018 ) where, a family weekend support group containing candle- lighting ceremonies, musical presentations, poem recitals, and outdoor activities was used in order to reduce post-traumatic stress reactions in parents.…”

“…These papers agree in the fact that support, when received from professional figures and institutions either in the form of mailings, through the guidance of support groups or simply by their presence and accompaniment, relieved the suffering of the parents at this vital moment and therefore, it is a suitable form of treatment. For example, by the participation in support groups, parents were given the chance to witness how other peers in the same situation were coping with the loss as well as learning from them and enhancing their coping styles (Turunen & Punamäki, 2016 ). Another illustration of this is the fact that in one study, 87.2% of the participating parents felt that merely receiving mailings from the hospital was supportive and healing (Edson, 2021 ).…”

Peer Support at Schools: the Buddy Approach as a Prevention and Intervention Strategy for School Bullying

“…Of the studies evaluating PS, an overwhelming proportion reports a range of findings including increased levels of interactions with peers, increased academic engagement, improved progress on individualised social goals, increased social participation in class and the formation of new friendships (Carter et al 2016a, b). However, further research is also indicating additional outcomes related to the perception of school belonging and stress (Ercan et al 2017), supports students with disabilities (Boyle et al 2012;Dolva et al 2011) and even supporting students experiencing bullying or trauma (Cowie 2011;Houlston et al 2011;Turunen and Punamäki 2016). According to Coleman et al (2017), the design and development of PS programmes are iterative and responsive to the needs of each location and, as a result, can vary regarding aims, delivery and structured activities.…”