How do you deal with what happened in Berlin?

In the Kaulbach school in Bad Arolsen in northern Hesse, work began on Wednesday, shortly before the public learned that after a 29-year-old man drove amok in the capital, a teacher at the secondary school and secondary school had died and injured numerous tenth-grade students had been.

David Lindenfeld

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In such cases, the school psychological crisis intervention teams (SKIT) of the state of Hesse can be “at the respective school in a few minutes”, as a spokesman for the Ministry of Education said on Thursday.

At the school in Bad Arolsen, several psychologists from the team of 120 employees across the state were able to prevent the students from learning about the death of their teacher from the media.

The mission continued on Thursday: Eight SKIT psychologists looked after the students and the staff.

"We look at how we can activate people's self-healing powers and work with them to develop coping strategies," says Marion Müller-Staske, school psychologist and responsible for crisis intervention and threat management in the Hessian Ministry of Education.

Social contact important

In addition, together with her colleagues, she also takes care of the stabilization of the teachers, who fulfill an important function as the pupils' reference persons, as well as supporting the school management in crisis management.

On Thursday, the students could either attend regular classes or take part in discussions.

Empirical research shows that social contact is important in order to be able to cope with such a situation, says Müller-Staske.

That is why group talks are primarily offered, but talks in pairs or in smaller groups are also possible.

“People get as much from us as they need, but as little as possible.

Most of all, they need each other now.”

Those affected can also give the signal that they initially want to keep to themselves, reports Müller-Staske: "But of course we are still present." The offer will remain in place for at least a few days, but probably even a few weeks - like after the attack in Hanau or the rampage in Volkmarsen.

"There are offers as long as there is a need." Furthermore, there is also a school psychologist from Hesse to look after the injured teacher and the seven injured students in Berlin.

The remaining students affected had already arrived in Bad Arolsen by bus during the night.

The question of why also plays a role in the reappraisal.

Experience shows that, says Müller-Staske: "Yesterday a child probably asked: Why is this happening to us again?" From Bad Arolsen to Volkmarsen, where in February 2020 a man drove a car into a crowd during a carnival parade , it is only nine kilometers.

Whether this question can be answered at all also depends on what the investigation reveals.

Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein and Minister of Education Alexander Lorz (both CDU) also visited the secondary school on Thursday.

Rhein spoke of a "very difficult day".

He promised the school community and the victims every conceivable help from the state and also promised those affected financial support from the state's victim fund.