This article reviews the shootings at Virginia Tech and the subsequent community reactions from the perspective of a graduate student in clinical psychology. Graduate students in the psychology department took on various roles in the aftermath of the disaster and were thus exposed to different attempts at helping from both outside and within the Blacksburg community. Experiences and perspectives of the author are discussed and three observations are made regarding the nature of giving aid in the wake of a community trauma. These observations address (1) the strong desire to help, (2) nuances of social support, and (3) community resilience and healing.
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