ORLANDO, Fla. — With the first anniversary of the Parkland school shooting approaching, Central Florida mental health counselors are working to heal wounds still fresh from the tragedy.

Orlando-area therapists recently went to South Florida to train more than two dozen people on a specific mental health treatment designed to help people traumatized by the shooting.

“Kids are still really upset and some kids are saying, ‘It’s like it’s still February 14th — last year,’” said Kari Russo, a mental health therapist with First Orlando Counseling.

One year ago February 14, 17 people lost their lives when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Russo says students she recently spoke with are still reliving that day over and over again.

“One of the students was under the desk the whole time. One of his friends lost his brother, and it was extremely traumatic for him... going back to school,” Russo said.

Russo recently went to South Florida to train counselors on a technique called "reconsolidation of traumatic memories," or RTM.

“It breaks the connection between the emotions and the event, so you can talk about it and not be triggered, so then they can process things with one another and talk about it,” she said.

Dan Jarvis is a military combat veteran whose mental wounds from war were so bad, he nearly took his own life. He now leads the nonprofit group 22 Zero, which is aimed at reducing veteran suicides.

Jarvis says the RTM treatment helped turn his life around, and he wants to help those affected by the shooting in Parkland.

“The kids — they’re helpless, they’re defenseless. The system did not protect them, and we have to do better at protecting them... Not only that, but we have to do better in treating them to get them back to being the people they’re meant to be,” Jarvis said.

And by training more counselors, Jarvis and Russo have ensured students facing a difficult anniversary will have long-lasting access to mental-health treatment.

“They will be able to help kids process through this trauma, and it will completely change how they feel about going to school,” Russo said.

You didn’t have to be directly affected by the Parkland tragedy to have difficulty facing the upcoming anniversary. People who feel like they might need to talk with someone can find information on mental health counseling at www.firstorlandocounseling.com. You can find out more about RTM at www.randrproject.com.