Oftentimes when a tragedy strikes in our community, whether that is the death of a beloved teacher or coach, a fire in which homes are lost, or other events that are traumatic for our community, the Nevada County Behavioral Health department responds to those who are impacted.
Staff who are trained in the NOVA crisis support model are able to hold groups and individual sessions with people who are struggling with a difficult event and help them to work through their emotions and grief. The model has been used most recently in the aftermath of the tragic plane crash in Truckee and after the recent death of a local young woman in front of many of her friends. In a small community such as ours, losses often reverberate quickly as a result of how connected we are to one another, and having supportive services immediately available can help to lessen the pain people are experiencing.
The model used by our team is taught by the National Office of Victim Assistance and is research proven to help people cope and start to recover from the loss they have experienced. Over the past few months, with funds secured by Kim Blix from the Public Health Department, a team of community mental health professionals and caring adults were trained in this model, greatly expanding our community capacity to respond to difficult situations in the future. Cindy Morgan from Children’s Behavioral Health recruited and organized this team of volunteers, including both County staff and employees of several local non-profits. Looking ahead, when difficult times occur in our community, it is comforting to know that we now have a large team of individuals prepared to provide support and care.
For more information or to access help in the aftermath of a crisis, call Children's Behavioral Health at 530-470-2736.
