Healing Beyond Words: Creative ACT-Informed Interventions within an Ecological Framework for Student Crisis, Grief and Trauma

Katherine M. Wood & Jolie Ziomek-Daigle 

School counselors are integral to fostering student well-being, particularly in trauma, grief, and crisis response. Research underscores the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences on students' academic and emotional development, highlighting the necessity for trauma-informed practices within educational settings (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2022). A national study revealed that many school counselors feel inadequately prepared to handle crises, emphasizing the need for comprehensive training and systemic support (Werner, 2014). Grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT) and Ecological Systems Theory, this conceptual manuscript explores the use of creative interventions by school counselors to address crisis, grief, and trauma among affected students.  

Creativity, art, and play serve as the primary vehicles for development and healing in children and adolescents (Gladding, 2021). By utilizing these approaches, school counselors meet students in an accessible way to reflect on their personal values and cultural identity, promote self-expression, diversify approaches to address learning style differences, and increase self-understanding (Rokeach-Brown, 2019). Creative approaches allow students to process complex experiences through hands-on activities that help them understand themselves and the world (Jayne & Purswell, 2025). When in distress, creative modalities can offer students opportunities to safely express feelings and thoughts, providing new and expanding ways to understand the crisis, trauma, or grief they are experiencing.  

Crisis Response 

The ASCA National Model calls on programs to develop a crisis management plan (CMP) and response to support students, staff, and the community in the event of a crisis (ASCA, 2025). Schools develop their own; however, guidelines have been put in place to align with ASCA’s national standards. School counselors are leaders, who provide counseling, referrals, and immediate interventions to parties impacted by the crisis (ASCA, 2019).  

To implement an effective CMP, Elbedour et al. (2020) defined four aspects that need to be covered: “(1) planning, (2) communication, (3) protocols for immediate action, and (4) protocols for specific types of different school crises'' (p. 209). For school counselors, these components take on additional, specialized dimensions. Planning includes not only general crisis preparedness but also the integration of mental health resources, assessments, and referrals tailored to students’ needs. Communication extends to proactive collaboration to ensure that information about students’ safety and emotional well-being is timely, accurate, and sensitive. Protocols require counselors to implement rapid interventions, including psychological first aid, safety planning, and de-escalation, while also supporting staff and peers affected by the crisis. Finally, protocols for specific types of crises require school counselor-led, evidence-based interventions that address students’ psychological and academic needs while maintaining school operations. By encompassing these school and counselor-specific responsibilities, crisis response becomes a proactive, systemic effort that prioritizes student safety and emotional recovery. 

Grief  

Children and adolescents can experience significant emotional and developmental impacts from grief, contributing to a range of psychological and behavioral challenges, including heightened risk for substance use, posttraumatic stress symptoms, increased anxiety and depression, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships, academic functioning, and overall well-being (Griese et al., 2017). Moreover, these experiences can negatively affect educational outcomes, influencing academic performance, school engagement, and long-term educational attainment (Elsner et al., 2021). 

School counselors can apply MTSS to students experiencing grief and loss (Blueford et al., 2021; Ziomek-Daigle, 2025). From school-wide programs and classroom guidance activities (Tier 1), focusing on more targeted supports such as individual or group counseling, regular check-ins, small or peer support group (Tier 2), or highly individualized and specialized interventions (Tier 3) , such as one-on-one counseling, mentoring, more frequent check-ins, or referrals to programs like summer grief camps  (Blueford et al., 2021; Ziomek-Daigle, 2025). Overall, the MTSS framework allows schools to provide structured support across all tiers, benefiting both grieving students and school personnel, including teachers and counselors.  

Trauma-Informed Practices  

Trauma-informed care is essential for school counselors to effectively support students, emphasizing creating safe, predictable environments that recognize the impact of trauma on learning, behavior, and social-emotional development (ASCA, 2022). A trauma-sensitive school counseling program is often grounded in a MTSS, which provides a structured framework for identifying and supporting students with academic, social, and emotional issues. School counselors infuse trauma-informed practices across all tiers and recognize the broader contexts in which students operate, including school culture, community resources, and family partnerships (National Child Traumatic Stress Network [NCTSN], 2017). 

Research indicates that students who receive trauma-informed interventions demonstrate improved emotional regulation, increased school engagement, and reduced behavioral problems (Anderson et al., 2025; Povall, 2022). School counselors play a pivotal role in implementing these interventions, integrating knowledge of trauma into daily interactions with students, staff, and families, as well as in organizational policies and community collaborations (McGough & Mylroie, 2024; NCTSN, 2017). Trauma-informed MTSS frameworks also help counselors reduce re-traumatization by minimizing unnecessary triggers through trauma-aware policies and practices (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014).  

Theoretical Approach 

The integration of Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT) with Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory provides a robust conceptual framework for innovative school counseling practice in K–12 settings. ACT, a third-wave cognitive behavioral approach, emphasizes psychological flexibility through acceptance, mindfulness, and values-based action, equipping students to navigate distressing thoughts and emotions without becoming constrained by them (Hayes et al., 2012). In parallel, ecological systems theory highlights the multilayered contexts, which range from the microsystem of family and peers to the macrosystem of cultural norms that shape students’ developmental trajectories (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Both theories operate from a strengths-based approach, and while ACT is more focused on an individual’s presenting problems, it does integrate the person’s environment and examines experiences that have led to the presenting issue (Bach & Moran, 2008).  

Combining these two approaches allows school counselors to gain a greater understanding not only of what the student is enduring but also of how their ecological systems impact their ability to remain flexible and aligned. This integrative perspective encourages school counselors to employ creative, developmentally responsive interventions that are attuned to both individual psychological processes and the ecological conditions in which students learn and grow. 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy  

ACT focuses on psychological inflexibility, with six aspects surrounding it in a hexagonal pattern, pointing back to psychological inflexibility in the center. The purpose of ACT is to reach a state of psychological flexibility, which occurs when a person can stay focused on the present moment and their values, without allowing thoughts and emotions to override the importance of staying centered on those values (Luoma et al., 2017). A state of psychological inflexibility occurs when a person loses mindfulness of the present moment, focusing more on their thoughts and emotions, than on their long-term goals (Luoma et al., 2017). Values are the guidelines by which we can evaluate our decisions, creating a meaningful path for our lives. The six aspects that contribute to

this psychological inflexibility are (1) experiential avoidance, (2) inflexible attention, (3) lack of contact with chosen values, (4) inaction, impulsivity, or avoidant persistence, (5) attachment to the conceptualized self (self-as-content), and (6) cognitive fusion (Luoma et al., 2017). Each of the six ACT aspects focuses on how a person has moved from a place of flexibility to creating barriers that keep them from staying centered on the values that guide them. As ACT examines the larger context of the situation, it also brings the focus back to the individual. It works well with Ecological counseling, as the various systems that impact a person’s ability to stay on track in their journey are part of the therapeutic process.  

Ecological Systems Theory  

Ecological counseling centers on the belief that environments influence individuals and that these systems are interconnected (Conyne & Cook, 2004). Due to the interrelated nature of ecological counseling, the counselor considers multiple contexts when working with clients. Urie Bronfenbrenner, the creator of the human ecology model, has five system levels that he uses to explain how a person can occupy different environments that connect, describing them as “nested structures, each inside the next.” The microsystem involves a person’s direct interactions with family, teachers, and peers (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The mesosystem refers to connections between these settings, like home–school relationships. The exosystem includes indirect influences, such as a parent’s workplace or local policies. The macrosystem encompasses broader cultural, socioeconomic, and historical factors that shape development. Finally, the chronosystem considers changes over time, including major life events and societal shifts (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). McMahon’s (2014) Ecological School Counseling Framework extends these theoretical levels into school counseling practice by positioning counselors to recognize and intervene across multiple systems, addressing students’ individual needs in concert with the broader relational and contextual factors that shape their development. 

When integrated with Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT), which cultivates psychological flexibility through mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based action (Hayes et al., 2012), this framework offers a comprehensive model for school counseling. Ecological counseling ensures that interventions are grounded in students’ environments, while ACT equips students with strategies to engage with difficult internal experiences adaptively. Together, these approaches allow school counselors to design interventions that are both systemically responsive and individually empowering, fostering resilience and growth across multiple domains of students’ lives. 

The following case study illustrates the integration of ACT principles with an ecological systems counseling framework to support three students within the same family navigating crisis, trauma, and grief. The utilization of creative interventions, such as bibliotherapy, art, music and writing, to highlight how this combined model underscores the importance of both internal and systemic support in promoting healing, school engagement, and long-term well-being. 

Case Study  

Maggie is a school counselor at Tatum School of the Arts, which serves students from K-12. The setting is a magnet school emphasizing fine arts performance, such as dance, music, and theatre, as well as academics. The school is racially diverse, with students enrolled from throughout the county. The county is urban and located one suburb away from one of the largest southern cities in the United States. The racial composition is 50% White, 20% African American, 20% Latino, and the remainder are in Other racial categories. Students’ socioeconomic status ranges from low to quite high income/wealth, and the student population is 70% female and 30% male. Approximately 600 students attend the school, and there are one to three classes per grade with approximately 15-25 students enrolled in each class. Maggie is the only counselor. The school is truly unique with its two-pronged emphasis areas: a) All advanced academic coursework (Honors, AP) and students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to be invited back for the next academic year (younger grades need As), and b) Demonstrate mastery performance in one fine art area such as dance, ballet, or theatre. Each student compiles a performance portfolio throughout the year and attends a final evaluation at the end of the year. The finale performance is a compilation of smaller performances for a review committee to evaluate. The review committee decides whether the student can return the following year. It is always a high-stress, high-emotion time of the school year for students.  

Callie is a 10th-grade student at Tatum School of the Arts, and her microsystem includes her siblings, parents, peers, school personnel, and dance community. Callie’s two siblings attend the Tatum School as well: Mia in 7th grade and Burke in 2nd grade. Callie drives her siblings to school and is very close to them, sharing a common interest in dance. Callie’s father is a first-generation Mexican immigrant, and her mother is White and grew up in the community. Callie’s parents own a string of popular restaurants in the area, connecting the family to the broader exosystem; they are very well known, social around town and serve on various organizational boards. Lastly, they are practicing Catholics and financially stable, reflecting elements of the macrosystem, including cultural values, traditions, and socioeconomic context that influence Callie’s worldview. The interconnected systems of family responsibilities, school involvement, community reputation, and cultural background collectively shape Callie’s experiences and development. 

Callie was diagnosed with depression in sixth grade. During the summer leading up to seventh grade, Callie slept 12 hours a day, withdrew from her friend group, lacked appetite, wanted to stay in her room most of the time, and would often argue with her parents when they discussed these changes with her. Despite these challenges, important values were present in Callie’s immediate environment, including family connection, responsibility, and commitment to dance. Callie started to see a clinical mental health counselor weekly and was taking an antidepressant, which she reported helped her mood. The mesosystem, including interactions between her family, school, and mental health support, also influenced her experience. Over the next few years, Callie had ups and downs. Grades were either strong or she was failing, and she mostly ended up with Cs by the end of the school year. She had to appeal to return the following year since she did not meet the 3.0 GPA requirement. Her performances were also inconsistent over the years; she struggled with motivation to practice and often took feedback personally. At the same time, these experiences highlighted the underlying values of achievement, artistic expression, and belonging within her dance community. 

Callie started her 10th-grade year strong, but things began to unravel in January. With the start of the new semester, Callie could not concentrate in her classes and, even with studying, could not pass any tests. She has also been avoiding the portfolio project and has not submitted any dance videos. All the spring semester, Callie went through the motions of school, only earning Cs and Ds at best, and would come home and sleep with very little interaction with her parents and siblings. Her parents were very busy in the evenings and on weekends, working at restaurants or attending social events.  

Callie spent all of spring break at her house because her parents asked her to watch her siblings. Although she cared about being dependable for her family, Callie struggled with her depression during that time, sleeping excessively, and letting her siblings do what they wanted. Callie started to consider taking her life and looked at some different websites on how to do it. At the same time, Callie had her performance evaluations scheduled for the week after spring break. Because dance had long been connected to her sense of identity, creativity, and achievement, feeling unprepared intensified her distress. She came up with a plan and had a means. Callie faked being sick on the Monday after spring break and died by suicide at her home.  

Immediate Response to Crisis 

In alignment with the CMP steps, in the first step, planning, it was important to establish collaboration with local school counselors and school social workers to determine whether they could send additional support personnel to students. The second step, communication, was multifaceted and began with Callie’s family, as the principal agreed to keep the family updated on all steps being taken at the school, starting with notifying staff members.  

The third step, immediate action, was implemented: the crisis team met after being officially informed by the parents to discuss the response, then a meeting with all staff was held an hour before school the next day. Both the crisis team and local school counselors were present at the staff meeting to provide additional support. A prepared statement, which Callie’s parents approved, was given to teachers to share in their classrooms that morning, informing students of Callie’s suicide, and a letter was sent by email from the principal to parents/guardians after the staff meeting (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2018; National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, 2024; Schonfield & Quackenbush, 2021). After notifying all staff, parents, and students, the school counselor’s focus was to disperse the other local school counselors who have come to help, work directly with Callie’s close friends, her teachers, and her family in their grief, providing the necessary community resources for additional support, monitoring reactions and social media, and to stay in close communication with the other members of the crisis team to assess needs as they arise (ASCA, 2024).  

The fourth step, which included protocols for different types of crises, included the concern surrounding the possibility of suicide contagion, especially with Callie’s peers, which means that another student or person close to Callie could also attempt or die by suicide (Malhi & Bell, 2020). This phenomenon would further devastate students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members, and any student close to Callie. Adolescents who have experienced a peer suicide show higher rates of suicidal thinking and attempts, and higher rates of depression (Feigelman & Gorman, 2008).  

Another concern during this critical time is the staff, especially teachers who have taught Callie or her sisters and know Callie personally. Due to the burden placed on teachers to share the news of Callie’s death, and field students’ questions, they need support in referring students to the counselors on duty, knowing that the counselors are here to support teachers as well (Hatton et al., 2017). Daily planning sessions with the crisis team will occur to update one another, gauge needs within the school, and problem-solve how to meet those needs (Tran et al, 2013).  

As the days following the suicide progress, the school will communicate funeral service plans to students after coordinating with the family. In contrast, at the school, planned activities will be scheduled to help students express their grief. Within these discussions with Callie’s peers, the school counselor would ask several questions for the students to come up with ways to honor Callie’s life, such as: (1) “What do you remember about the person who died? (2) “What do you want to remember about the person?” and (3) “What are some ways we could take time to observe or mark these remembrances?” (Schonfield & Quackenbush, 2021, p.182). These questions provide direction for students and aim to help them cope with their grief rather than hold a memorial, which could further suicidality among other students (Schonfield & Quackenbush, 2021).  

Therapeutic Approach with Callie’s siblings  

Survivors of a sibling’s suicide are known as the “forgotten bereaved,” and their reactions of trauma and grief, along with depression and anxiety, often emerge (Dyregrov & Dyregrov, 2006). However, these difficulties are typically rooted less in the individual and more in relational, social, and contextual factors (Dyregrov & Dyregrov, 2006), so the school counselor’s approach can be helpful within the larger ecological systems context to address the needs of Callie’s siblings, Mia and Burke. Working through the guilt and blame that often accompany survivors of suicide is a key component of the counseling process. Cognitive distortions, such as viewing the deceased in black-and-white terms of “good” or “bad,” can also be addressed through ACT techniques, helping the student develop more balanced perspectives (Worden, 2018). Anger toward the deceased is another common emotion, and some family members or friends may feel discomfort with these feelings. Supporting the student in recognizing and expressing the full range of emotions, including anger, allows for healthy emotional processing (Worden, 2018). 

Finding meaning in the loss can be particularly challenging, especially after a suicide. Over time, separating the pain of the loss from the suffering caused by the loss can create pathways toward meaning-making, such as learning more about mental health, understanding suicide, or engaging in reflective grieving practices that foster healing (Kessler, 2016; Worden, 2018). To support this process, ACT techniques like the LLAMA method—labeling, letting go, allowing, mindfulness, and approaching—can help students reframe distressing thoughts, move from feeling stuck toward acceptance, and engage in mindfulness practices that highlight discrepancies between values and current experiences (Turrell & Bell, 2016).  

Additionally, the DOTS assessment, which evaluates Distracting, Opting out, Time travel, and Self-harm behaviors, can be used to monitor Mia and Burke’s coping strategies and progress regularly (Turrell & Bell, 2016). DOTS can increase awareness of how behaviors affect Mia and Burke in the short- and long-term, enabling adjustments to coping strategies and promoting healthier responses to stress, and through these combined interventions, processing guilt and anger, fostering meaning-making, applying ACT techniques, and monitoring coping behaviors to support in navigating grief and moving toward emotional healing. With these foundational ACT strategies in place, the next step involves creative ACT interventions that can help Callie’s sisters, as well as students, explore and reconnect with their values while developing flexible ways to respond to painful thoughts and emotions.  

Creative approaches with students, including Callie’s sisters 

ACT interventions tailor support to students’ needs; for the students in Burke’s 2nd grade and below, a straightforward, developmentally appropriate communication about the death is most appropriate (McCoyd et al., 2021). It is also an opportunity for students to write cards to provide support for Burke. For students between Burke and Mia’s grades, the school counselor takes a similar approach, as this age range generally has a greater need for factual information (McCoyd et al., 2021), while students on either side of Mia’s grade level may express more feelings of fearing the loss or being overwhelmed by the suicide (McCoyd et al., 2021). It would be important for the school counselors providing additional support to speak one-on-one with students and to give them space to express how they feel. Some examples of creative approaches for these individual students include bibliotherapy, drawing, painting, or coloring to explore feelings or explain concepts.  

Bibliotherapy is most commonly used by reading a book followed by a discussion, with alternative approaches including poetry or film (McCulliss & Chamberlain, 2013). Some questions can help the student identify with different themes, characters, or plots of the story, and include “Are you like any of the story's characters? Do any of the characters remind you of someone? Who would you like to be in the story? Is there anything you would like to change about the story? How would you change the characters, what happened, or how the story ended?”  (McCulliss & Chamberlain, 2013, p.28). For this case study, the student chooses a book focused on grief (e.g., The Invisible String [Karst, 2000], Always Remember [Sheehan, 2016]) or on feelings (e.g., The Grand Hotel of Feelings [Carter, 2023], The Color Monster [Llenas, 2018]) to process.   

Art is also a great way for children to express their feelings and explain concepts, such as grief. For example, using colors to represent different feelings to express the variety of emotions that students are feeling; creating grief masks to show some feelings while hiding others; and drawing a heart broken, and then healed, talking through how we can heal our heart when it hurts (Hooyman et al., 2021). Many standard school postvention recommendations may fail to meet the specific developmental needs of younger students, underscoring the necessity of incorporating non-verbal, expressive activities that allow for bridging the communication gap that traditional verbal screenings often miss (Williams et al., 2022).  

For high school-age students, the shock of the loss can send them in a myriad of directions, from anger to sadness. Additionally, due to the nature of Callie’s death, it can have an impact on suffering, both psychologically and emotionally, and can result in a greater severity of grief reactions (Hooyman et al., 2021). Adolescents with close emotional ties to an individual who died by suicide typically exhibit heightened grief responses (Hooyman et al., 2021). They may be at elevated risk for suicidal ideation or behavior, potentially as a form of self-punishment, identification with the deceased, or due to perceived glorification of the death (Hooyman et al., 2021). There are a few creative interventions to help student peers who are processing Callie’s death: music, writing, and art.  

Music has several uses within counseling: (1) it facilitates the exploration of emotions related to loss through song, (2) promotes relaxation and adaptive coping, (3) creates avenues for communication and social support, and (4) supports improvements in overall daily behavioral and cognitive functioning (Hooyman et al., 2021). Whether writing a song or using express and process emotions, music can help people feel and find meaning (Hooyman et al., 2021). Music interventions also align with ACT to enhance psychological flexibility by providing an auditory anchor, supporting individuals in remaining engaged with their thoughts and bodily sensations, and increasing mindfulness. Additionally, it can assist with emotional processing and promote acceptance of the difficult thoughts and feelings that arise while listening to music.  

Writing can be helpful for students as a way to process grief, with one activity being a finish-the-sentence activity focused on their grief (Degges-White & Colon, 2014). This activity would include sentences like: “My best memory with my lost loved one is . . .” “If I could change things, I would . . .” “One thing that I liked to do with the person who died was . . .” “When the person died, I . . .” “Since the death, my friends . . .” “After the death, school . . .” “When I am alone . . .”, which would be shared, then based on their answers, students can write a poem, draw a picture, or write a letter to Callie (Degges-White & Colon, 2014, p.101).  

Creative arts can provide a pathway to healing, and one example for Callie’s peers that could be helpful is to create a bracelet with beads, having each color represent something about Callie, and after each person shares, having them answer, “Explain why you chose those particular beads to represent the person you lost.” “What would you like us to know about this person?” and “What was this activity like for you?” (Degges-White & Colon, 2014, p.315). Additionally, this activity provides Callie’s sisters, Mia and Burke, an opportunity to express their grief, create a takeaway to help them remember Callie, and find positive ways to cope.  

Lastly, the influence of social media has introduced a new dynamic in how adolescents share about their experiences. Digital and social media can serve as valuable tools for supporting adolescents in coping with loss, and utilizing online platforms, such as Grief Speaks, can help maintain a sense of normalcy by providing a space for youth to share their experiences (McCoyd et al., 2021). By working collaboratively to guide youth in developing the skills to navigate the complexities of online life (Boyd, 2014), adults and adolescents can foster a safer and more supportive networked environment. 

The long term is just as important as the short term, as the continuum of survivorship model categorizes individuals into four groups: those exposed to a suicide, those affected by it, short-term suicide bereaved, and long-term suicide bereaved (Cerel et al., 2014). Melham (2004) found that adolescents exposed to a peer’s suicide had traumatic grief symptoms, including crying, feelings of numbness, functional impairment, preoccupation with the dead, and poor adjustment, a year after the death. Traditional school postvention typically prioritizes cognitive, talk-based interventions; however, given that 43% of suicide-bereaved individuals experience social withdrawal and many face external pressure to act bereaved in specific ways (Azorina et al., 2019), verbal-only models can be counterproductive. Creative, art-based expressions provide a safer, less demanding, and developmentally responsive environment for students to communicate their grief. Additionally, Mia and Burke need consistent support, as siblings can experience increased school impairment and increased questioning that may impact their motivation (Fletcher et al., 2013). Any family structural changes that may affect support at home should also be addressed (Fletcher et al., 2013).  

Addressing ongoing needs with administration  

The lines of communication with administration are essential when additional programming is needed to serve students. Suicide postvention serves three primary objectives: (1) supporting individuals in processing grief and distress following a suicide loss, (2) reducing additional adverse consequences associated with exposure to suicide, and (3) preventing suicide among those at elevated risk after such exposure (Hooyman et al., 2021). To continue postvention efforts, MTSS can be effective in addressing the needs of students and staff.  

School-wide initiatives (Tier 1) support both students and staff, with ongoing training for staff to recognize mental health crises and suicidal ideation is a key postvention strategy (Hooyman et al., 2021). For students, programs like Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer initiative, address factors related to suicide, including bullying, grief, self-care, and self-harm (Wright-Berryman et al., 2018). Students are peer-nominated and selected by the principal and school counselor to ensure diverse representation. With parental notification and the option to decline, final participants receive summer training, followed by monthly sessions throughout the school year. Collaboration with parent groups and student-led initiatives can further foster a positive school climate. 

Tier 2 interventions include individual and group counseling, as well as consultation and collaboration as responsive services (Ziomek-Daigle, 2025). A needs assessment can identify students requiring additional long-term support, such as grief groups. Lastly, Tier 3 focuses on specialized, individualized interventions through consultation and collaboration with teachers, parents, and community agencies (Ziomek-Daigle, 2025). School-based evaluation informs tailored strategies for these students. 

The school is both part of an ecosystem and an ecosystem within itself, so ensuring that we have engaged community partners in the resources and support provided to students, teachers, parents and administration, aligns with Ecological counseling (McMahon et al., 2014). In addition, having student-led programs moving forward increases the students’ role and control over the response, which is important in ACT (Luoma et al., 2017). By engaging various collaborative partners in these ways, the approach is to think systematically while also focusing on ways an individual can develop positive coping skills in the aftermath of this tragedy.  

Conclusion 

This conceptual article highlights the integration of theory and creative arts to understand and address student crisis, grief, and trauma through a case study. The activities and approaches in this manuscript invite school counselors to use creative, developmentally responsive strategies that align with MTSS to address students’ needs in response to the crisis, grief, and trauma they have experienced, as well as the ecological contexts shaping their growth. An evidence-informed perspective can enhance school counseling practices, ensuring that theory meaningfully informs practice across systems. 

 

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