Hope. Healing. Recovery.
Standing together in the face of tragedy.
Crisis Services
Urgent Care
Click here if you are experiencing sudden feelings of depression, anxiety, or hopelessness and want to explore your options. You can also call (207) 626-3414.
Tools and Resources
Click here for supportive resources for children, families, and communities to navigate the media, recognize their emotions, and discover collective coping strategies.
A LETTER TO OUR MAINE COMMUNITY
October 27, 2023
We are at a somber and challenging moment in our community’s history. This week’s tragic events in Lewiston have engendered a spectrum of emotions, leaving us all in shock, grief, and disbelief. During times like these, we must come together as a community to support one another and demonstrate our unwavering resilience.
Our hearts ache for the victims and their families who have been directly impacted by these senseless acts of violence. No words can adequately express the depth of our sorrow, but please know that we stand in solidarity with you.
In the face of such tragedy, we must remember that our community is defined not by the horrific acts of a few but by the kindness, compassion, and strength of the many. We must stand together, united in our determination to heal and rebuild.
We also want to acknowledge the dedication and courage in the face of danger of the active bystanders, first responders, law enforcement, and healthcare professionals who worked tirelessly to save lives and provide care to those affected. We are grateful for law enforcement’s unwavering dedication to keeping our communities safe.
Please remember that you are not alone. If you or someone you know is struggling with the emotional aftermath of this tragedy, please reach out for support.
For behavioral health crises or thoughts of self-harm, call the Maine Crisis Line at 988 or toll-free in Maine at (888) 568-1112. If you are local to Kennebec and Somerset counties, our team will be on the other end of the line after first connecting with a crisis line phone specialist. (24/7 support)
If you are a parent and need support in speaking with your children about these events, please contact our trained family peer support specialists at the GEAR Parent Network toll-free in Maine (800) 264-9224
For mental health peer-to-peer support call the Intentional Warmline toll free in Maine(866) 771-9276 (24/7 support for individuals 18+)
For youth ages 13-23 in need of peer support, text Nami Maine’s Teen Text Support Line at (207) 515-8398
The healing from this tragedy will not happen overnight. In the coming days and weeks, we will explore additional ways to help our clients and Maine in the healing process. We are gathering resources and tips from our clinical and family peer support staff and community partners to support the victims, their families, and the broader community. These resources can be found below and will also be available on our agency’s Facebook page. We will update these pages as additional tools and resources become available.
As we process this collective trauma, it is essential to reach out to one another, check on your neighbors, and offer support to those in need. We encourage open and honest dialogue about your feelings, fears, and hopes for the future. In unity, we can find solace and comfort.
Maine is a special place. We are a strong and resilient community, and we will get through this together and find the strength to turn this darkness into a story of unity, strength, and healing.
With heartfelt solidarity,
Amber Kruk and Tim Floyd
Co Executive Directors
Crisis & Counseling Center
Resources for supporting children and adolescents.
Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After Mass Violence
Describes common reactions to mass violence and provides tips for parents on how to care for themselves and their child. Updated March 2021.
Coping after Mass Violence
Offers information on coping after mass violence. This fact sheet provides common reactions children and families may be experiencing after a mass violence event, as well as what they can do to take care of themselves.
For Teens: Coping after Mass Violence
Offers information for teens about common reactions to mass violence, as well as tips for taking care of themselves and connecting with others.
Talking to Children about Mass Violence
Provides information about how to talk to children about mass violence. This tip sheet describes ways to talk to children about mass violence, including how to start a conversation, how to deal with incorrect information, limiting media exposure, common reactions, and when to seek help.
Psychological Impact of Mass Violence
Provides parents and providers with information about the psychological impact of a mass violence event. This fact sheet describes common reactions to events like this, posttraumatic stress reactions, grief reactions, depression, physical symptoms, trauma and loss reminders, traumatic grief, post-disaster adversities, and coping after catastrophic violence.
After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal
Offers tips to parents on how to help young children, toddlers, and preschoolers heal after a traumatic event.
RESOURCES FROM CIGNA
Coping in the aftermath of a mass shooting.
We live with the expectation that if we don’t harm others, they won’t harm us; a mass shooting shatters our sense of safety. When ordinary citizens doing ordinary things are killed or wounded by the bullets of a shooter, life turns upside down. We don’t have a roadmap for how to feel or what to do. For those directly impacted – witnesses, survivors, first responders, and loved ones of those killed or injured – finding the way forward can be a long and challenging process. Many struggle with anger, fear, guilt, and crushing grief. But we can all be touched by these tragic and senseless events. We can be left with feelings of helplessness, sorrow, and outrage. How can we manage these difficult emotions and find a way forward?
Coping with violence in the community.
With community violence in the news, more of us are experiencing increased anxiety and fear as we go about our daily lives. If this sense of fear is ongoing or we are in close proximity to violence, we can find ourselves constantly reacting to a high level of stress. This may result in decreased productivity at work and can have a traumatic impact on our daily living.
Dealing with the impact of violence and violent death.
Hearing about violence that results in injury or death can bring up strong emotions. What is it about death by violence that strikes us so deeply? What can we do to manage and work through our feelings in healthy ways?
Grief and loss
We all experience loss. Whether it’s the loss of a friend, loved one, beloved pet, job, marriage, or even physical abilities due to illness or age, loss can be one of the hardest challenges to face. Grief is a natural response to loss, but it can be difficult to manage. Though the focus of this handout is about grieving a death, many of the reactions and coping strategies can be applied to other losses.