NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Following the shooting at Antioch High School, many students and parents may be experiencing some form of trauma.
Many mental health advocates are stepping in to help people understand what they're feeling.
“I live a block from Antioch High School,' said Christal Pennic, CEO of the Grief Center. “I was in complete shock, and my adrenaline was going so fast, it was almost like I wanted to hop in the car and go straight down to Antioch and help.”
Christal Pennic may not be a student at Antioch, but she can feel the grief following Wednesday's shooting.
"We have to have this conversation in this community about how we can all help support families,” Pennic said.
The Grief Center is one of several organizations, including The Center of Hope for Behavioral Health, Tri Synergy Counseling, and Mt. Zion Baptist Church putting on a special Crisis Processing Session at Mt. Zion's Murfreesboro Pike location.
According to Pennic, right now parents should pay attention to potential signs their children are experiencing crisis, starting with a behavior change.
"If they don't want to be around other people and just say, 'I don't want to be bothered today. I don't want to be bothered at all,' that's something to look out for,” Pennic said.
The event will run from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025.
“We're here to support folks in their grief. We're here to support folks in whatever feelings come up for them, and we're also here to educate them on what they can be looking out for in terms of emotions and physical symptoms in the days and weeks to come," said Morenike Murphy
Across Middle Tennessee, mental health professionals are lending their expertise and resources hoping to help people impacted by this tragedy.
Therapist Evangelina Castillois offering free therapy in both English and Spanish to a student from Antioch.
"The idea came to me for offering a therapy spot to a teen that was affected by the events yesterday, and basically offering pro bono therapy with the option of up to five sessions for free,” said Evangelina Castillo, a family and marriage therapist for Lumina Therapy.
According to Castillo, it's very important to talk to people about how you're feeling.
“Seek safe friends, safe relationships, where you guys can process these things that you're experiencing. It's going to be common, especially now, shortly after the events, to feel fear, to feel alone, and to feel sad,” Castillo said.
That sentiment was echoed by Valerie Craig with Co-Founder of Tennessee Voices for Victims.
“What we would just really encourage people to do is talk about it. You know, don't pretend like nothing is different because things are different. So talk about it. Find somebody that they feel is a trusted individual to do that,” Craig said.
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