“When we talk about things like racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, I want the students to be advocates,” Givens said. Counselors, he tells his students, can lead the ways to positive change and societal evolvement. Givens’ passion for social justice is one of his favorite topics and ongoing class discussions, though they are sometimes challenging. He encourages that by continually searching philosophy for new ideas and tools he can implement. Givens moved his family to PFW in 2019.Įmpathy and compassion are two critical needs for a counselor, and Givens adds warmth, engagement, and passion for social justice, trying to help his students learn to use those qualities. He worked at Riveredge Hospital in downtown Chicago, which specialized in behavioral health services, then a residential facility for adolescents, and in private practice for two years before joining the hospital staff in Denver for seven years.Īt the time of the shooting, Givens was finishing his doctorate, and two years later took a teaching position at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. Not only did the experience teach Givens about himself, but it helped him become a better professor eventually, something he can say about his other counseling experiences before joining a university. Showing that presence, more the sense that you are really there for somebody.” “I would say where I focus is on presence. “My experiences in the emergency room especially helped me realize that sometimes you only get one meeting with a person,” Givens said. That night’s results provided various opportunities to meet and study with local and state officials as they attempted to respond and answer unanswerable questions, discussions that pushed Givens ahead in his work. “I’m a better teacher overall from that experience.” “There are several things about the experience that are relevant to the course material,” Givens said. They must be taught how to act and what to do, just in case. His job now, and the reason he tells this story every year, is to help prepare counseling students for the unpreparable in case they ever face similar situations. “We met with a lot of the victims and the family members.”Īs he tells his Purdue University Fort Wayne counseling education classes now, the job was essentially to connect victims and family members, be present for them during a horrific time, to show them that someone cared, and provide support. “We walked down, and we were right in the middle of it,” said Givens. At the time, it was the largest number of shooting victims in modern United States history. During a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a 24-year-old man set off tear gas grenades before firing his four weapons- including a tactical shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle, and a handgun- killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. In the very early morning of July 20, 2012, Joel Givens was working as a crisis mental health counselor in a Denver hospital when his computer posted notifications that 22 gunshot wounds were coming in. Joel Givens, assistant professor of counselor education
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