High school counselors fill many roles in the lives of their students. They face difficult, stressful issues everyday. When the time comes, high school counselors are called on to provide grief counseling to students, to help cope with violence, death and grief, weapons at school, abuse, accidents, suicide threats, natural disasters and a number of other life-altering disasters.

It is a particularly trying time when the death occurs at the school and multiple students or teachers are involved. Such was the case in the number of school shootings that rocked the nation’s high schools and middle schools in the recent past.

High school counselors will once again be called upon to serve as grief and death counselors at a Minnesota high school where a student murdered seven students before he took his own life. More than 13 people were wounded in the unexplainable killing spree that broke out in the halls of Red Lake High School.

“They’re a vital part in getting any school back to its structure after a tragedy occurs,” said Palm Beach Lakes High School principal, Nathan Collins.

Usually high school counselors see the most students on the first school day after a tragedy, with follow-up sessions over the next few days as needed, said Bob Templeton, Palm Beach County district manager of psychological services. Children who remain unable to cope with a loss typically are referred to private therapists who can work with them and their families.

But grief counselors have found most students benefit from seeing their friends struggle with the same emotions.

“The kids find strength in each other — that’s why they come to school,” Templeton said.

While there is no easy way to handle a situation like the one at Red Lake High School, there are a few things high school counselors can do to help students through grief and death counseling.

WebMD makes the following recommendations for high school grief counselors called to assist students with coping in the midst of a tragedy.