Multiple local organizations are stepping up to assist Butler County residents, including first responders, through any mental health crises that may arise after Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, which left one spectator and the shooter dead, and two others seriously injured.

For first responders who were present at the event and are having difficulty, there is Butler County’s Critical Incident Stress Management team. The team, which consists of 12 mental health experts working part-time, is based out of Harmony, and can be reached 24/7 through Butler County’s non-emergency dispatch phone number.

“We meet with basically anybody, but especially first responders, after a critical event just to go over the event with them, make sure everybody's doing OK, and get them back to work as soon as they possibly can,” said team coordinator Lynn Bouchier, who also works in the emergency department at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights.

Among the services offered by the team are stress debriefings, which are typically held 24-72 hours after a stressful incident. These allow patients the chance to discuss their feelings about what happened and find psychological closure.

The team also performs shorter “defusing” sessions, which are similar to debriefings and typically happen in the immediate aftermath of an event.

Bouchier said the effect of the shooting, as any stressful event, will vary depending on both the person and the event.

“It’s very individual specific, obviously,” Bouchier said. “The things that we generally talk about when we meet with people are trouble sleeping, flashbacks of the event, nightmares, not feeling like eating for a while, things like that.”

Aside from the Critical Incident Stress Management team, Butler County’s Department of Human Services and Center for Community Resources provides various mental health resources.

“We’re just reminding people that the services are there, that we have counseling available in the community,” said CCR executive director Beth Gillan. “Like always, we provide mental health crisis services, and we're available for anyone who wants to speak, whether it's about the events of the weekend or anything else in their life that they would need some support on.”

For those in need of mental health assistance, contact the Center for Community Resources at 724-431-3748 and they will connect you to available services in the area.

In the event of a mental health emergency or crisis, call 988.