NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was something Covenant families fought to prevent. In a letter to a judge in June, William Kinney's mother said she wanted to protect surviving children from the "unfathomable trauma" that could come from the shooter's writings.
Now that some of the writings have leaked, a flood of emotions may soon follow.
"One of the major challenges and difficult things that continue to happen are these reminders," Director of Clinical Programs and Intervention at the Nashville Children's Alliance, Dr. Gina Crean said.
Dr. Crean said the leaked documents serve as a painful reminder of that tragic day.
"The first thing that I thought about was empathy and care for our community for what they might be experiencing, which is not uncommon to have a reaction to some of those reminders that come up of the event," Crean said. Those reactions, she said, could look different for everyone.
"There is no textbook reaction to these reminders," Crean said. "For kids, you could see differences in behavior, differences in appetite or sleep habits. They may have a little bit more attachment to you as their caregiver." She said adults could experience those things too.
In these times, Crean said it's important to practice self-care and lean on your support system.
"It's going to be really important to ground yourself in knowing that you are safe in that moment," Crean said. "Reminders to your kiddo about what is real and what is current and what is happening right now is really a grounding thing that you can do for them."
In this day and age of social media, the news can be hard to avoid, so Dr. Crean says think before you click."What is your hope to get out of the for yourself? So curiosity is normal but make sure that everything is still a check-in with your own self about what is serving you best?"
In a statement, Mayor Freddie O'Connell said “This incident naturally invokes additional emotional trauma, and families or individuals who need support should reach out to professionals at National Alliance on Mental Illness (615-891-4724), MNPD support counselors (615-862-7773) or MNPS Family Information Center (615-259-INFO).”
Additional resources:
Family and Children's Services of Nashville can connect you and your child to counseling and other resources. Call their 24/7 crisis line at (615) 244-7444, text (615) 502-HERE (4373) or visit their website.
The Nashville Children's Alliance provides free support groups for parents/caregivers, adolescents, and children each Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. You'll need to RSVP to gina.crean@nashvillechildrensalliance.org.
Transcend is a free app developed by the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center to help users identify and respond to common impacts following a mass violence event. The app is available for download for both Apple and Android users.
Tennessee Voices for Victims works on behalf of victims of crime in Tennessee helping with activism, empowerment, resources, and more. You can reach them at (615) 390-5202 and find the most up-to-date resource information on their official website.
