Many Kansas Citians endured a terrifying afternoon Sunday as a shooter moved through the Ward Parkway Shopping Center. Persons touched by this shooting, especially those whose experiences were close to the event, may go through a wide range of emotional responses in the hours and days immediately following. For most, these will get better with time as the comfort of friends and family helps them work through this harrowing experience. Should those emotions continue to cause trouble for them as the weeks go by, Kansas City area mental health providers are prepared to make safe and effective assistance available through a network of professional service agencies.
This network has worked for several years in conjunction with the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee and the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Red Cross to ensure that the very best in practical, accessible, evidence based help is available in the event of community disasters, terrorist acts, or other large scale episodes. Assistance is available in all parts of the region through not for profit agencies and professional staff who, in conjunction with nationally established resources in trauma and disaster response, have been trained in the best techniques current research and practice can offer for assessment, intervention and support.
The attached information provides some quick, useful, and very practical suggestions for dealing with the immediate aftermath. Persons with additional questions or needs should be encouraged to contact the CommCare crisis line at 888-279-8188 for additional information or assistance in locating an accessible source of professional help.
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Suggestions for dealing with emotional response to a crisis
From the Mental Health Subcommittee of the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee
When bad things happen . . .
None of us really knows what to say or what to do in situations like this. Everything we usually count on to make us feel safe can be shaken as we struggle to understand what happened, how it happened, what it means, and what we’re going to do.
Our very first reactions are usually shock and disbelief, followed very quickly by a roller coaster of emotions. We may react at one moment with intense anger or grief or fear or sadness, so strongly we may feel it’s almost out of control — the next minute, we may be back together and holding strong, only to “lose it again” later.
That back and forth experience usually starts to settle down within a few days, although it doesn’t entirely stop or go away. You can expect every now and then to experience another moment of emotional reaction but the intensity will start to lessen as time goes on. The time they last will shorten and the time between will increase as the days pass.
While we can’t take away or prevent all the discomfort, there are some things we can suggest that have helped others work their way through situations like this. They don’t cover everything or everyone, and they’re not presented as is a formula for your own best approaches. Use them as a starting place to decide what will work best for you.
Places to start . . .
If it works for you, pass it on. People and communities do get stronger when they work through difficult times. Events like this appear at first as overwhelming threats but there is real strength in getting through them intact and together. Draw strength from those around you and share your strength with others.
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Contacts
From the Mental Health Subcommittee of the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee
For information on the Mental Health Subcommittees of MARC’s Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee, contact
Betsy vanderVelde, President
The Family Conservancy
816.213.8008
Ms. vandeVelde is chair of the subcommittee and can speak to its origin, purpose, and development.
For information regarding current research and best practices in response to disaster and terrorist events, contact
Eric Vernberg, Ph.D.
Professor, Child Clinical Psychology
University of Kansas
785.864.3582
Dr. Vernberg is a nationally recognized expert in early intervention and treatment of traumatic stress, and has served on a wide range of expert bodies, including the SAMHSA/NCTSN Psychological First Aid project accepted as the current standard of early care.
For information regarding training and preparation of the local provider network, contact
Richard Gist, Ph.D.
Principal Assistant to the Director/KCFD
816.784.9242 or 816.719.4411 (cell)
Dr. Gist is a public health psychologist (behavioral epidemiology and system design) with an international reputation in community programming related to disaster and emergency response and has helped design and develop a range of community programs dealing with crisis intervention; he has also been a part of the SAMHSA/NCTSN Psychological First Aid project.
For information about how the local network has been used in other disasters (specifically the May 4, 2003 tornadoes) and how Red Cross responds to mental health emergencies, contact
Susan Sollars
Red Cross Emergency Services
816. 841.5245
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