Ep 34. Heartening vs hardening schools with a trauma-informed counselor

Host: David Riedman, creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database.

Guest: Josh Novick is a licensed professional counselor, trauma specialist, founder of Trust and Grow Consulting and volunteer for Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence.

Josh’s journey began as a social studies educator at an alternative high school operating within Malcolm X College in Chicago. There, he witnessed firsthand the profound impact of trauma, particularly gun violence, on BIPOC teenagers. This experience sparked his commitment to understanding and mitigating the effects of trauma on young people.

In July 2022, following the Highland Park Fourth of July Parade shooting, Josh co-led the emergency response center at Highland Park High School. He recruited and organized over 600 volunteer therapists, providing orientation and therapeutic guidance during a five-day operation. As part of the Recovery Team, he collaborated with stakeholders to support the community’s healing and to develop long-term resiliency programming.

Other Episode Referenced: Ep 29. Gun violence exposure on walkable routes to and from school on the south side of Chicago where students are heavily dependent on public transit and walking.

David Riedman is the creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, Chief Data Officer at a global risk management firm, and a tenure-track professor. Listen to my weekly podcast—Back to School Shootings—or my recent interviews on Freakonomics Radio, New England Journal of Medicine, and my article on CNN about AI and school security.

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