A team of counselors will be available over the weekend and throughout the weeks and months ahead to help students, faculty, staff and members of the WSU community deal with concerns related to the shooting death of Professor Andrzej Olbrot on Dec. 10.
Counselors will be on campus between 9 and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and can be reached by telephone. That team of counselors from Wayne State's psychology, psychiatry and social work faculty can be reached by calling (313) 577-2840, which is the primary number to call for assistance.
After-hours callers to that number will be referred to the University's Employee Assistance Program, which will provide counseling to anyone from the University community under these special circumstances. The EAP phone number, available 24 hours a day, is 1-800-852-0357.
Counselors from Wayne State's Counseling and Placement Services can be reached at (313) 577-3398 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday. The counseling center is located on campus at 1001 Faculty-Administration Building.
The Detroit Medical Center's crisis hotline also can be called for counseling. That number is (313) 224-7000.
In addition, the University is targeting interventions for people more directly involved with the occurrence.
The University quickly tapped into a number of different agencies and individuals in and around the city of Detroit who have considerable expertise regarding crisis counseling, according to Jeffrey Stoltman, interim vice president for marketing and communications.
"Everyone we asked for assistance agreed immediately and without reservation," he said. "Many others from throughout the metropolitan area volunteered. We are extremely thankful for this tremendous show of support. As we have seen in the way that communities can respond to a crisis, the compassion and professionalism is truly amazing.
"We have gathered a very large team of highly qualified people to deal with students who witnessed this horrible scene, other students in the building and the students of Professor Olbrot, as well as students in the College of Engineering, faculty and staff throughout the University," Stoltman said.
"We know from our experts that individuals react in different ways. Some immediately understand they need someone to talk to and help with coping. Others might not immediately react but there is a delayed reaction so we will maintain our network of caregivers for the weeks ahead. Some individuals deal with it privately and effectively.
"We're helping in the recovery process so people can manage their feelings and help others who might have stress reactions in the future."
During the next few days the University will prepare a mailing for students, faculty and staff explaining the common signs and symptoms of stress reactions. Symptoms can be physical, emotional or cognitive and may range from headaches and sleep disturbances to difficulty making decisions to general feelings of grief and isolation.
"This is a powerful event that affects people in different ways," Stoltman said. "It's not a sign of weakness to seek help. There is a normal range of reactions to an event like this and we really want to reach out to the community. We know our work isn't done today or tomorrow."
Crisis counselors were on campus Friday, the first day after the shooting, in Old Main, the College of Engineering and the Student Center Building to meet with those who needed help. Counselors will be available Monday, Dec. 14, in Old Main for students, faculty and staff who are entering the building for the first time since the shooting. Counselors also will be available in Counseling and Placement Services in 1001 Faculty-Administration Building, and also in the Psychology Clinic at 78 E. Ferry.