NWA counseling service affected by May 26 tornados finding other ways to continue operating

ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A counseling service in Rogers is finding ways to operate again after the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes.

Water’s Edge Counseling staff that worked in the Rogers location are working from home or the company’s other location in Bentonville.

They also have a plan to create a space where some clinicians are back under one roof.

It’s been more than a month since the May 26 tornado came through and destroyed Water’s Edge Counseling in Rogers which was once near and dear to Clinical Director Jennine King’s heart.

“It was a strange feeling to be in the building totally empty and some of the offices completely gone that have been torn down by some equipment, but the realization, I think the real heart triggering part is still there,” King said. “But it’s healing knowing that we have a direction of where we are going to be temporarily, long term, and to have a home for all of our Rogers clinicians and an office staff to be back underneath one roof gives reassurance that there are better days to come.”

King is now working out of her home office.

Other staff members like Gabriella Viveros moved into the Bentonville location.

“We’re all in a very tight space. And so it’s been hard,” Viveros said.

Viveros has to commute to work from Little Flock. “Traffic is really bad. Any time of the day,” Viveros said.

But she is looking at the brighter side of the situation.

“We’ve become closer as a company, and so I think there’s a positive in that.  We get to know each other more being together in that office,” Viveros said.

King says they have a temporary long-term plan for their clinicians by operating out of the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers starting next week.

“Currently, we have seven offices that our clinicians are preparing to move into. Those seven clinicians are just currently displaced. And so, we’re excited for them to be able to be back under one roof again,” King said.

King says the building has large rooms that they will need to build walls.

“To be able to make clinicians rooms as well as a waiting room and admin area,” King said.

The team says they’re accepting new clients.

“It’s an honor to be able to serve our community. And so we are very glad that we are able to take care of our clients that just need a little extra help during this period of time for them,” King said.

This is not the only property that was affected by the storm.

Other businesses and homes in the area were too.

“I have driven around the community, and it’s taken some time for me to be able to do that and to see the destruction and to see the hurt that some of these family members have in losing their homes has been difficult,” King said.

King is finding ways to heal from the disaster.

“Step back and you got to rest. You got to take care of yourself. If I can’t take care of myself, I won’t be able to take care of anybody else. So, I have to be a priority for myself,” King said.

She also remains grateful for what she has and for the help from the community.

“Who has stood up and been available for one another, shown kindness and care and concern for mankind has been amazing to see. We see this type of situation, some less, some worse,” King said. “And other news as we look at that and we say, ‘Oh, that’s horrible’. And we move on with our life, but until we experience that ourselves, I think that allows us to be more compassionate, more empathetic, more understanding and caring for one another.”

The counseling service team is teaming up with the Central Arkansas Trauma Recovery Network.

“This is a volunteer program of clinicians throughout our state that are providing services to our community,” King said.

They are coming together to host a free service event on July 13-14 at the First Baptist Church of Rogers on 3364 W Pleasant Grove Road in Rogers for people ages 6 and up who are still hurting from the tornado.

“We are really looking forward to being able to continue to assist our community members. You do not have to be a water’s edge client to reach services.” King said. “These services are for those people who have a trauma response from this storm that might look like symptoms of a new onset of anxiety, increased anxiety, depression, anger, difficulty sleeping, feeling of overwhelming depression. We are pleased to be able to offer this to our community.”

King says a lot of the clinicians if not all, are trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

“EMDR is an excellent modality to be able to process and heal from trauma. So when you meet with your clinician, you and your clinician will decide if that might be something appropriate. EMDR is not talk therapy. It’s not traditional therapy, but traditional therapy will be available as well,” King said.

You can visit stormtrauma.com to schedule an appointment.

“These sessions are for two hours at a time, whether you take full hours, the full two hours or not, if you’re going to be offered two hours of time to be able to process with your therapist the trauma that you have associated with our storms,” King said.

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