Counseling available to help residents cope with tragedy

Counseling and behavioral health services are available as the community comes together to help those in need after the deadly landslide.

SEARHC has been providing counseling at no cost, and a private practitioner in Haines also is offering free assistance.

Former Wrangell resident and therapist Riley Hall, who is offering free counseling to community members, was living in Haines in 2020 when a landslide killed two people there. The rain continued after the slide, adding to people’s anxiety. “It was really difficult for people to feel safe again quickly afterward,” he said.

Hall said people might not be aware at first that they’re dealing with aftereffects of a tragedy. “Trauma can sometimes have a little of a sleeper impact,” he said. “You move on from it, and you don’t think about it, and then something in the future can bring it back out of the woodwork.”

Wrangell schools closed on Nov. 22, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, to give students and staff additional time to recover. Grief counseling was made available that day at Evergreen Elementary in coordination with SEARHC Behavioral Health. Services included on-site care, as well as videoconference and phone support, which has extended past the one-day event.

Schools Superintendent Bill Burr said closing all the schools and providing counseling was a first step to help the community. “Looking at both the students and staff … they needed to grieve too, to be with family,” he said. “Plus, we wanted to have available any resources that we could for anybody.”

Beyond the one-day grief counseling, Burr said there would be other resources made available for students, parents and staff.

Former Wrangell schools counselor Addy Esco, who now lives in Anchorage, posted on the Wrangell Strong Community Relief Group Facebook page that she will be in town through Friday this week and will be at the schools to provide counseling support to staff and students.

Dr. Elliot Bruhl, SEARHC chief medical officer in Sitka, said staff there is coordinating sending behavioral health support personnel to Wrangell and communicating with Wrangell hospital leaders to share resources and staff.

“The SEARHC behavioral health team has continued to support the community by being present at the community gym for support, having staff available for walk-ins. We have also reached out to offer our support to our first responders,” Lyndsey Schaefer, director of marketing and communications for SEARHC in Juneau, said in an email.

“All of our community support has been at no cost to residents,” she added. “We are continuing to support the community with grief counseling.”

Some people might not seek counseling right away, Schaefer said. “As the community begins to move forward and the children return to school, there could be an increase in the need for behavioral health support.”

For those who might be resistant to seek counseling, “our behavioral health team is ready to help support our patients when they are ready,” she said. “There are many resources available to help support community members. If physically coming into the offices is too much, then there are other options available.”

Residents who would prefer online or phone services can connect with the Wrangell clinic to set up a time with a SEARHC team member, Schaefer said.

Hall explained that everyone experiences and handles trauma in different ways, and while not everyone will need to seek counseling, people should watch out for symptoms that may indicate trauma such as flashbacks, panic attacks or sleep problems.

“If you’re having an anxiety response to the trauma that persists for a couple weeks to months afterward, it can be a good time to check in,” he said. “If you’re parenting and grieving at the same time, and your kids are grieving at the same time, it can be a good idea to check in and learn some skills or gain some knowledge about how to coach your kids through the grieving process.”

Hall also encouraged residents to find ways to increase their sense of safety and peace, whether it’s allowing time to grieve, talking with trusted family and friends, going for a walk, reading scripture, or engaging in yoga or meditation or prayer.

“Whatever that person’s norm is, that’s kind of the name of the game for coming back to equilibrium,” he said.

To schedule appointments for free counseling with Hall, residents can call him at 907-723-1308 or visit his website at http://www.borealtherapist.com.

To schedule appointments with SEARHC Behavioral Health, residents can visit their offices at 333 Church St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, call 907-874-5000 or visit searhc.org. To reach their 24-hour crisis call center, call 1-877-294-0074.

And SEAK Behavioral Health in Wrangell has posted that it is available for anyone in need of counseling, and services will be free. Call or text Krissy Smith at 907-305-0985 to set up a time or day.