Burlington High Offering Counseling in Wake of Tragedy

is offering counseling to students and parents following the apparent suicide of a student this past weekend, Principal Patrick Larkin said Monday. 

Larkin said in his blog yesterday the school was offering counseling in the library for students who would like to speak to someone or take a break from the day and that additional counseling will be available to parents finding it difficut to deal with the news.

"In addition to BHS counselors, we had a number of outside counselors on hand to help support our staff and students," Larkin wrote. "We are thankful for the assistance of the NEMLEC STARS crisis team, the Burlington Community Life Center and the LABB Collaborative. We will continue to make the library available for any students who may need help or just need to take a brief break."

"We also want to support parents during this difficult time as they help support their children and one another through the grief process," Larkin continued. "With this in mind, we will host a forum for parents Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. led by Dr. Larry Berkowitz, the director of Riverside Community Care, and a nationally recognized speaker on supporting schools and communities following the suicide of a young person." 

Dr. Berkowitz will also be available to speak with parents on a walk-in bases on Wednesday from 8 to 10 a.m. Berkowitz has also made available a list of Suicide Prevention Resources that can be found by clicking this link.

If you need to speak with someone in regards to this community tragedy, you are encouraged to call the BHS Guidance Office at 781 270-1856 or the at 781-270-1961. You can also reach me by e-mail at larkin@bpsk12.org or on my phone by clicking on the call me link on the right side of this blog.