MIAMI — October 28, 2024 – Agencies funded by Thriving Mind South Florida through the Department of Children and Families, and through a Florida Office of the Attorney General Victim of Crime Act grant, as well as the Miami-Dade Police Department, provided much-needed counseling and resources in the wake of a shooting in the Cutler Bay neighborhood of Miami-Dade County.
Shots were fired Monday near a park where a youth baseball game was going on in the Cutler Bay neighborhood of Miami. Dozens of children and parents experienced the violence. Knowing that witnesses of traumatic events can experience negative effects, several agencies quickly assembled a team who could respond, providing counseling, resources and support.
Thriving Mind’s long-time community partner, the Miami-Dade Police Department, initially learned of the event and recognized the need for counselors. MDPD victim advocate Barbie Brewer called Thriving Mind Peer and Care Coordinator, Eric Robinson. Robinson has his own lived experience and works on Thriving Mind’s Trauma Recovery Team, which is funded by the Florida Office of the Attorney General.
Knowing first-hand the psychological impacts of witnessing violence can have on the mental health of residents, Robinson enlisted the help of Thriving Mind’s Mobile Response Team Network, run by The Village South/WestCare. The MRT was recently expanded in Miami-Dade County, Department dollars, funded by Department of Children and Families, has allowed for increased reach and rapid deployment to assist individual and families experiencing behavioral health crisis.
MRT network set up counseling sessions at the Cutler Bay Town Hall. They were joined by licensed clinicians from Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI), another Thriving Mind-funded provider. CHI has many employees who live in the neighborhood, and whose staff have responded to past crises.
The CHI therapists who staffed the Town Hall sessions said were so happy to be able to connect with the children and their parents, as well as with community officials. For nearly three hours, the clinicians met with over 40 people from the community who witnessed the shooting, including adults, children and youth. They met in large groups, small groups and individual sessions on Thursday. They were provided with immediate counseling as well as with referrals for further community-based supports.