CHICO, Calif. – After a shooting at Chico’s public library, local leaders are offering mental health resources to anyone struggling in the aftermath. Action News Now reached out a local pastor, Butte County Behavioral Health and Chico Unified School District for their advice.
Butte County has a 24-7 access line at 530-891-2810, regardless of insurance status. County Behavioral Health Director Scott Kennelly suggests that returning to your regular routine while making time for joy can help.
He also recommends paying attention to children’s behavior during this time. “If you’re seeing anything substantially changing in your kids – they stop sleeping, their appetites change, they’re withdrawing, more anger outbursts – that can be a normal reaction to a traumatic event for a short period of time,” Kennelly said. “But if it lasts more than a couple of weeks, you definitely want to see about maybe consulting a mental health professional.”
Chico 1st Assembly served as the family reunification center during the shooting. Lead Pastor Joel Krise said the church remains available to help.
“We are always available for anybody that needs something. And we want to be a service to our city,” Krise said. “We want to share the love of Jesus and show that there’s hope in him and healing in him, and that he’s here for the brokenhearted.”
Krise said the church wants to help people feel safe again. “We want to see people move forward and just be able to still trust their neighbors, and go to work and go to places and feel safe because we appreciate all that the police did to be there as fast as possible and take care of the situation,” he said.
A spokesperson for Chico Unified School District suggests parents read an article from the American Academy of Pediatrics titled “How to Talk with Kids about Tragedies and Other Traumatic News.” The article and Butte County resources are available on Action News Now’s website.