FARMINGTON, Arkansas — A local mental health counselor is offering free group sessions to those impacted by the Washington County fair shootings.
Sherri Gansz is the owner of Cardinals care center in Farmington. She was contacted for a therapy appointment by someone who was at the shooting on Friday.
"I thought, you know, there's got to be more other people that are affected. So, after I saw some different posts on Facebook, I understood that there were more people that I knew that were being affected," said Gansz. "I just decided, you know what, let's see if we can do something."
Only a few days after the shooting, Gansz announced that her center and local church Farmington first would be hosting free group sessions.
Mental health counselor says the impact of the Washington County shootings could present themselves in a number of ways including trouble sleeping, panic attacks, and even relationship issues.
"Parents sometimes struggle, maybe not letting the kids get out of the house, maybe they're afraid to let them go to an event. Possibly, you know, kids could struggle to go into another event that's out in the public. We've had kids in the past that struggle going back to school, you know, they would rather stay at home, they don't want to go do things, they stopped going with their friends, stopped calling," said Gansz "everybody deals with things differently. There's not a right or wrong way to deal with a trauma, a traumatic event"
Gansz explained that the impact of the incident in Washington County may not present itself immediately.
"Some people, it might not affect them for 2,3,4,5,6 months. That's okay. That's normal. Not everybody is going to struggle right now, some people will, like I said, it will be later," said Gansz. "Don't feel like you're embarrassed to reach out for help."
Having lived in Northwest Arkansas for 12 years, Gansz said she hoped the shootings wouldn't leave a lasting impact on the agriculture community.
"I know how much that they've worked hard on these. They don't just do it, it's not just a weekend to them. They prepare for this for months," said Gansz. "Don't let this detour you from the future. Because if you do, it's going to stop you from living your life and going forward."
Gansz recommends that anyone experiencing a change of behavior in themselves or others see a local therapist. She said it applies to anyone impacted not only by the Washington county fair shooting, but any traumatic event.
Both the Cardinal Care Center and Farmington First Church will host group sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. The sessions will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with the church's being for a faith-based approach.