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Bay State College Professor Takes Action in Newtown, CT

February 4, 2013

When the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT took place late last year, Bay State College Professor Abigail Kelley knew that she would be able to help in her own way. 

By trade, Abigail is a Social Worker and Educational Consultant. She has been a social worker for over 40 years, counseling hundreds of clients dealing with traumatic events.  Her career has allowed her to work in many different environments – as a grief counselor in the emergency room of hospitals, as a liaison for the Plymouth Sheriff, and as the owner of her own Domestic Violence Agency, to name a few.    

As a member of the Statewide Trauma Response Team in Massachusetts, Abigail and her peers were called in to provide some assistance to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.  She spent 3 days running support groups for those deeply affected by the tragedy including first responders, the parents of those students not killed in the shooting, and the Girl Scout group that many of the victims belonged to.  Each group was affected in their own way.

“It might not make sense to people that I enjoy my work,” Abigail says. “But instead of just thinking about how horrible the situation is, I’m able to help others understand and deal with their feelings. I always feel better when I can do something.”

Abigail’s work outside the classroom also brings an added benefit to her current and past students at Bay State College. After the event occurred, many of her former students contacted her to discuss their thoughts and feelings, while current students in her psychology and sociology classes were able to hear about how the content they were learning applies to real-world situations. 

“As sad as the circumstances are,” Abigail says, “it’s important for me to be able to help in the best way I know how, and learn something from it that I can take back to my students.”