Renowned British Social, Crisis Psychologist and PLA Media President Rushed To Assist With Counseling And Support At The Covenant School
Dr. Shamender Talwar, crisis and social psychologist and co-founder of the international organization The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF), swiftly joined the team on site to assist with counseling and support for the families and staff at The Covenant School in Nashville, TN following a shooting that resulted in the death of three staff and three children in addition to the shooter.
PLA Media President and TUFF Ambassador, Pamela L. Lewis, was on a conference call with her team and a client when the news broke. She sprang into action when she realized that Dr. Talwar and the mental heath initiative The Road to Nashville was in town and would be invaluable as a resource on site.
At the reunification center, Dr. Talwar joined police chaplains, Vice Mayor Jim Schulman, Metro Council Member At Large Sharon Hurt, first responders, staff, and families of the students at the school to ensure they had a sense of humanity as they traverse through the loss and grief associated with this tragedy.
Dr. Talwar was tapped to speak with the Associated Press, News Channel 5, Channel 4, News 2, FOX 17, and the Wall Street Journal while on site.
“I was led here to offer my services and serve in counsel to these families to mentor, speak, and offer a hand of support,” said Dr. Talwar. “I could see the fear and anger in their eyes. The police, school officials, city council, and Vice Mayor have done a most commendable effort in regard to their response. Vice Mayor Shulman and Council Member Sharon Hurt were there from the beginning leading by example. This is a mental illness pandemic. There have been over 100 mass shootings so far this year in the US and it’s only March. As we did with Brexit, I would urge officials to put forth a referendum on guns in this country. Let the people decide what they think the best way to tackle gun control is. Tackling the stigma for mental illness should be the first item on the agenda. Now is the time to demand action.”
If you or someone you know if suffering a mental health crisis, please visit tn.gov/behavioral-health to learn more about the resources that are available in Tennessee.
