At their first conference after the Uvalde shooting, school counselors grapple with supporting students in an age of mass violence

School counselors from across the country attended “Lessons from a School Shooting,” a session at the American School Counselor Association conference at the Austin Convention Center on Monday, July 11. (Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune)

All it took was the mere mention of Uvalde for Alma Rodriguez to start tearing up.

The El Paso native was among dozens of school counselors who packed a dimly lit room at the Austin Convention Center on Monday to attend a training session on school shootings that was part of the American School Counselor Association’s annual conference.