The death Tuesday of Chad Novak, the counselor at Escalante Middle School, brought an immediate effort from Durango School District 9-R officials to comfort and counsel students and community members.

Novak, 42, died Tuesday of a self-inflicted gunshot, La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith said Wednesday. The autopsy was done by Dr. Rob Kurtzman, from Grand Junction, Smith said.

Novak was found across the street outside a neighbor’s house in the Dalton Ranch subdivision, La Plata County Sheriff’s spokesman Dan Bender said.

Novak had worked in the district since 1999, and he held various positions at Miller Middle School as well as Escalante.

School district spokeswoman Julie Popp said professional counselors from numerous organizations, some from Bayfield, offered their service.

Novak had a huge impact on students and families throughout the district, Popp said. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Forty-eight professionals in grief counseling made themselves available at Escalante starting early Wednesday. A half-dozen counselors were at each Durango High School and Big Picture High School where many students had known Novak in years past.

Classes were canceled Wednesday at Escalante to give students, faculty and staff a chance to process the news. Classes were conducted as usual Wednesday at other district schools.

It’s not easy to envision helpers – professionals who walk people facing a crisis through their problem – requiring help themselves, mental-health experts say.

But counselors may need a supporting arm at times themselves, Bern Heath, executive director of Axis Health System, said Wednesday.

“Professional counselors must have a certain level of objectivity,” Heath said. “They have to disengage from the pain.

“But if they find themselves or a family member facing a crisis, they may not be able to disengage,” Heath said. “If they’re depressed, they can’t see what they have.”

It’s important for a depressed, dispirited or saddened professional to look for help the same as anyone else, Heath said.

Grief may not overwhelm one immediately, Heath said. If 9-R students, teachers or staff members find themselves reacting to Novak’s death in coming days or weeks, counselors will be available, he said.

Pam Wise Romero, chief clinical officer at Axis, said counselors are no different from the population at large.

“We’re all human,” Wise Romero said. “We all have a blind side.

“When a problem is personal, even professionals may lack objectivity to assess themselves,” Wise Romero said. “A support system is important when we can’t see our own circumstances clearly.”

Tim Arnold, principal at Escalante, said the loss of Novak affected everyone deeply.

“Students and staff will react in different ways,” Arnold said in a statement. “We should all expect and try to understand that there will be a variety of emotions and responses to what has occurred.

“The most important thing we can do is to be supportive and encourage an open expressions of feelings,” Arnold said.

Escalante has a plan to deal with tragedy that evolved from experience with death in the past and advice from mental-health professionals, Arnold said.

Teachers and staff members have received guidelines for discussions about death and reactions to it. District personnel will be available to students who need help.

The school will open its doors at 6:30 p.m. today to families who need help coping, Arnold said. Counselors will be on hand.

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For more information or help

Durango School District 9-R will hold a forum to help parents and the community deal with the death of Escalante Middle School counselor Chad Novak at 6:30 p.m. today at the Escalante Middle School, 141 Baker Lane.
“There will be speakers and additional information to help support each other, as well as tips on how to navigate the many emotions we are all experiencing after a loss,” 9-R spokeswoman Julie Popp said. “There will also be grief counselors on hand to support families. Any community member is welcome.”
Peter Tregillus, who works on the Southern Ute Community Action Programs suicide-prevention efforts, said there are a couple of key points when talking with children about suicide:
Reassure children that they are not responsible, and that nothing they said or did caused anyone else to take his or her life.
Be prepared to talk about the suicide multiple times during the first days and weeks, and later throughout the child’s life.
“Children who experience the suicide death of a loved one do best when they get honest information about what has happened – in doses suitable for their age,” said Margo Requarth, director of a children’s bereavement program, in an article for Grief Digest Magazine. “Sharing rather than hiding grief allows for children to learn about feelings.”
There are several resources to help children and adults learn how to deal with a loss to suicide. Tregillus recommends these websites:
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education at www.save.org.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.afsp.org.
There are several resources for help in La Plata County. Visit www.sucap.org and click on Suicide Prevention for a list of trained gatekeepers; call the Axis Health Systems 24-hour Hotline at 247-5245; contact a mental-health professional; or for a referral, call 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255)
The Durango Chapter of Heartbeat for people who have lost loved ones to suicide meets from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at Durango Fire Protection District Station No. 1, 142 Sheppard Drive in Bodo Industrial Park.
For more information, call 403-4103 or 749-1673.
Ann Butler and Dale Rodebaugh