Traumatologist gives advice to those affected by the filming of the MLK Day event

BOCA RATON, Florida. It’s been a day since the Martin Luther King Day shooting at Fort Pierce, and many of the families in attendance at the event may be beginning to feel trauma, especially young children.

A 9-year-old girl from Fort Pierce was left motherless after she was killed in a shootout on Monday night. Seven people were wounded, four more were injured, having fled the scene.

“I think it’s time for the community to come together. This is where community is needed to raise a child,” said Kristen Bomas, a therapist from Boca Raton.

“At this time, the adults who surround this girl are critical to her healing and moving forward,” Bomas said. “It was unknown. They thought they were in the park, they were having a great MLK day when suddenly gunshots rang out and the unknown became a source of fear and terror.”

Bomas, who specializes in injuries, says the shooting will affect people who were at the event and witnessed a family member or friend being shot.

“I think it’s hard. Trauma doesn’t heal on its own, grief heals… So I think trauma is one of those things that will really benefit parents if they take the child to a therapist, maybe even together. together,” Bomas said.

Bomas says that living at the time of the shooting can have some survivor guilt, which makes the person who is still alive feel like they should have been hurt.

“They need to be honest about what they are feeling, what they are going through, how hard it is. They want to come up with a positive way to talk about death and a way to look at this loss and this trauma. from a place of healing rather than being stuck in anger,” Bomas said.

Flashbacks, nightmares, and changes in behavior are all signs of trauma, Bomas said, especially for some children. She encourages families to create a support system or seek professional help from a therapist or counselor.

“We’re here to help you really understand what you’re going through and understand how to heal and not suffer,” Bomas said.

Bomas also says it’s important to let people grieve in their own way and of course be patient with them, providing the person with a sense of security and stability.