Philadelphia teens discuss mental health issues amid rampant gun violence

By Christie Ileto

Click here for updates on this story

    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — This week, the School District of Philadelphia hit a grim milestone.

District officials confirmed 100 students have been shot, with 20 of them killed since the school year began.

For a lot of city kids, getting to and from school safely is not guaranteed, and that alone is triggering.

Many anti-violence groups now have programs where therapists come weekly to speak with kids.

“My school went on lockdown, the shooter was inside the building,” said Charles Gaskins, IV, a sophomore at TECH Freire Charter School.

He says he doesn’t feel safe going to school.

“I don’t feel safe going outside. I wonder if I’m going to make it to my destination, if I’m going to make it home,” he said.

Sadly, many other students also share similar thoughts.

These are things most teens don’t have to think about, but for those living in Philadelphia, this is real life.

At the Dimplez 4 Dayz center, organizers have therapists come every week to speak with kids directly impacted by gun violence.

Some private practices are now even working to eliminate the cost barriers.

“We really want to break down the wall and make sure the clients have as little barrier as possible,” said Nitasha Strait.

Strait says sometimes waitlists can also be a barrier.

“The way that I’ve set up the practice is that people can get in the day they call, or certainly by the end of the week,” she said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.