One year since Uvalde school shooting: Does a memorial help with mental health and healing?

UVALDE, Texas — Wednesday marks one year since the devastating school shooting that happened in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers.

Dr. Hans Watson, psychiatrist and president of Dynamic Psychiatry joined Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic on a recent episode to discuss if a memorial helps heal or makes it difficult to move on but not forget. 

Watson told Dave and Debbie that there is no easy answer to such a question. 

However, in his opinion, long term, a memorial will be meaningful, but in the short term it may make the healing process more difficult. 

“That doesn’t always mean it’s negative,” he said when discussing the short term effects. 

He compares it to surgery in the sense that short term you may have to endure some pain, but long term you won’t have to worry about the issue surgery has corrected. In other words, it may be hard to revisit such a terrible and emotional incident, but in the long run, there could be some benefit. 

He also said it could be beneficial to look at the location of the memorial and make that location known. 

“It can be helpful but also keep it in one place, so if someone isn’t healed they can avoid it,” Watson said. 

He said it’s important to be mindful of what community members need in order to feel safe and supported in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting. 

Listen to the entire segment.

 

Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.  

Related reading:

• A year after Uvalde, White House expands mass shootings playbook
• Uvalde boy shows exceptional resilience as he goes back to school with a smile on his face and photos of his classmates on his chest