Local therapist lends help to Las Vegas victims

Santa Clarita survivors of the Las Vegas shooting are invited to a free closed group therapy session on Thursday to help talk through and process their experiences.

“When anyone goes through an attack like this, the long-term effects can be so difficult,” Psychotherapist Shauna Hoffman, who will be leading the session, said. “After any kind of traumatic experience, sharing with other people who have gone through it brings a level of peace other people cannot give them.”

Discussing this shared experience can help survivors work through their fears, confusions, anger and sadness, according to Hoffman. Often, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be inevitable, she said.

Hoffman said she knows the massacre has hit close to home for many people in Santa Clarita and wants to help them work through it.

Two sessions are available, one at 5 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at 24359 Walnut Avenue in Newhall

As to keep the discussion specific to survivors,

only those who were at the Route 91 Harvest festival on Sunday are invited to attend.

Hoffman expects to have a separate discussion for loved ones and family members of victims and survivors soon.

For those who plan to attend, call or text Hoffman at (661) 714-5137 or email her at shauna@workingonme.com. Attendees can also RSVP through the “Group Session for Survivors of the Las Vegas Gun Attack” Facebook page.