MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The unexpected can be a battle of its own.
“Certainly no one expects to become a victim of a crime. We don’t leave the house that morning thinking something like this is possible,” said Sandy Bromley, Executive Director of Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center.
Once the first battle is over, the next fight comes from within the individuals impacted.
“They are normal reactions to an abnormal event,” said Bromley.
After last week’s mass shooting at a Kroger in Collierville, her team stepped in.
“Collierville Police has reached out. We’ve been trying to coordinate our response. We’re trying to reach everybody that we can so that they know what our resources are,” said Bromley.
Those resources include trauma counseling.
“Our reaction to trauma can be really different all across the board. It can be everything from feeling numb and feeling like you don’t even know how you feel. Maybe you have a lot of energy that adrenaline that’s still running in your body,” said Bromley. “It could be that you have absolutely no energy and you’re feeling depressed or lethargic...We provide that immediate crisis intervention and help.”
That assistance will help determine the next step victims can take to move forward.
“They’ll never just get over an experience like this. It’s now become a part of your life story and life journey. Now it’s just a matter of integrating that in a healthy way,” said Bromley.
Their first focus is to help.
““Help is that immediate I don’t even know what to do next. When you become a victim of a crime and it’s unexpected, you just don’t necessarily know what to do next. We’re here to walk you through those steps,” said Bromley.
Then, they will help with healing.
“The healing is the longer journey. It’s going to involve not just our agency but your own friends and family members,” said Bromley.
The final step is to encourage hope.
“Hope is the feeling that something can be good again after something so bad,” said Bromley.
While the Center is working with victims of the Collierville shooting, they are still here to help any victim of a crime and rape.