GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — After the second murder-suicide involving children in West Michigan in less than a week, community members are likely handling their grief in different ways.
"Our hearts ache," says Lindsay Jousma, a social worker with Gilda's Club Grand Rapids. "We, as adults, we're going through so many emotions ourselves."
Which is why Gilda's Club is helping people process their grief in the wake of tragic events both nearby and nationwide.
"There can be a ripple impact, a ripple effect of impact," says Jousma. "And it's hard to determine how far that ripple, you know, can really go. And so it's, again, tuning into ourselves to know how we're feeling."
Megan Hennessey, program director of advocacy group Resilience, says murder-suicide is a far too common result of domestic violence cases.
"If there's a gun in the home, domestic violence victims are five times, five to seven depending on the study, times more likely to die," explains Hennessey.
So how can you spot someone in need of help? She says it doesn't necessarily always mean bruises or scars.
"Domestic abuse is all about power and control," says Hennessey. "You might see that person have to respond to a lot of phone calls and text messages from their partner, that they're stalking them, controlling what they're doing the entire day."
And she says when that control goes too far, it can end in tragedy.
"That's the ultimate control decision, right? Whether you get to live or die, breathe or not," says Hennessey.
After events like these, Jousma says grief is processed differently by each person.
Gilda's Club offers free grief support, but knows talking to a counselor isn't for everyone.
"We can take care of our bodies, try to get enough sleep, you know, maintaining some physical activity," says Jousma. "That all will help with our coping of our emotional health."
Both Gilda's Club and Resilience provide resources to those in need, whether dealing with grief or domestic abuse.
To learn more about Gilda's Club's free grief support, click here.
To contact Resilience, which has locations in Ottawa and Allegan Counties, click here.
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