Aerial Photo of Campus
News and Announcements

Op Ed by Gerry Costa about Jersey City shootings and how to help children

Posted in: College News and Events

Photo of Children watching events unfold after Jersey City shooting in December 2019

Gerard Costa, Director of the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health, wrote an Op Ed for NJ.com regarding the recent shootings in Jersey City, New Jersey and how to help children who are frightened by these events.

Costa reminds us that children need to make sense of what happened, and we as adults need to help them process the information. Some pointers include reminding children of the “helpers” in the community, such as parents, teachers, police officers; be aware of how children are displaying stress and worry; and reassure children that they are safe with you.

Costa served as the first project director of the Child Development-Community Policing Project of Newark, a mental health-police partnership affiliated with Yale University, aimed at reducing the impact of violence in child victims and witnesses, as well as a consultant to the Violence Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ, developing the training curriculum for the Safe Start Program, among others relevant experience.

To read the full original story, please visit: NJ.com