FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – A local mental health center in Florence is stepping in and offering grief counseling to residents of Vintage Place, where last week’s deadly ambush on law enforcement took place.
Pee Dee Mental Health will have an RV set up in the neighborhood starting Friday, October 12. The RV will also serve as a gathering place for residents to spend time with each other and express themselves. But they will also have the option of speaking with therapists and grief counselors. Executive Director Pat Bresnan says there will be three to four counselors on board and they will each be set up in a separate office so that residents can have some privacy while talking with them. Bresnan says one goal is to hear from the community, better assess their needs, and figure out a plan of action for additional support.
“I think individuals have certain thoughts and feelings and I know a lot of parents are confused on how to exactly address their children at this point in time. And I think some educational materials as well as our staff assisting their needs will help with that,” he said.
News13 also spoke with a child trauma counselor at the Pee Dee Mental Health Center about what parents should know about helping their children cope after tragedies. Linda Brignan counsels children as young as 4. She says, as kids are still growing and tend to be more sheltered than adults, they’re not as aware of the possibility of tragedies happening as adults are. She says times like this are especially hard for children and they go into more of a shock.
“When a kid encounters a situation like last week, they start dealing with questions like ‘Why?’ ‘How?’ Dealing with their own families. It could’ve happened to my family. It could’ve happened to a friend of mine’s parent,” Brignan said. She says children can respond in a number of ways including acting out, having nightmares and being depressed. Experts say much of a child’s reaction depends on what they hear and who they hear it from.
“Parents know their children better. So it would have to be individualized as a parent would have to figure out how they need to address their kids,” Brignan said.
Parents are also encouraged to be open and honest and have age-appropriate conversations with their kids. Experts also suggest getting back into your daily routine.
