Monday the unimaginable, unthinkable happened on the streets of a Greater Toronto Area neighbourhood. A man in a van, for reasons yet unknown, struck and injured or killed more than 25 people and shattered their lives and the lives of many, many more.
The families & friends of the victims; the first responders and their families & friends; the witnesses and their families & friends; the eventual jurors and their families & friends; the family of the suspect and their families & friends all will be deeply affected. Some may never completely move forward from their grief and trauma. Others may be affected by PTSD forever. There is a plethora of mental and physical health damages that will ensue.
Recovery from trauma is a long, difficult and complicated journey that I know all too well. When our “second responders” (counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists etc.) are professionals, specifically trained in trauma therapies, this journey from tragedy to transformation can be a healing one. It has the potential to be transformative, as in my personal experience.
I hold in my heart that just as the fine officer who contained and apprehended the suspect has been commended for being his “best” in the “worst” conditions, that the fine city of Toronto too, will be commended for their “best” in providing counselling, support and treatment to all involved, for as long as it takes, to recover from the trauma and loss of Monday’s unthinkable reality.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families & friends of the victims, the first responders, the suspect, the suspects family and all who witnessed this deeply disturbing act of violence on our peaceful streets.
MI VISION that all those affected will have access to professionals trained in trauma therapies is my crusade.