Processing

Hi everyone,

Coming to you after the tragic events surrounding the murder of one of our own members and professional colleagues, Rebecca White, who was killed while working and making a difference in our local community. I did not know Rebecca personally but did positively interact with her a few times through these FB groups. If anyone did know her personally, I invite you to share some positive memories with her so that this can be a place of honoring and respect. If anyone also sees anything regarding vigils, processions, or statements from her family, please let me know so I can also add that information here.

EDIT 01/21: Statement from Rebecca's sister here: "Our family is devastated by the unimaginable and violent loss of my sister, Rebecca. She was brutally taken from us while doing the work she was deeply committed to- helping others through individual therapy. Rebecca was bright, intelligent, compassionate, and someone who took safety seriously, especially in her profession. We are struggling to understand how this could have happened. There are serious and troubling questions surrounding building access, security measures, surveillance, and how an individual was able to enter the premises during those hours. This tragedy raises concerns about systemic failures that may have contributed to a situation that should never have occurred and, in our view, could have been prevented. Right now, our family is grieving an irreplaceable loss. We are heartbroken, angry, and searching for answers- but above all, we are mourning Rebecca.

We respectfully ask for privacy during this incredibly painful time as we begin to process this loss and support one another. Our focus is on honoring Rebecca’s life and the person she was, not on speculation or public commentary."

Statement taken from here: https://www.wftv.com/.../conv.../HQGIHXRD4BFN7G6F7NNNM7TF7I/

EDIT 01/22: The mother of the heroic client that fought against Rebecca's murderer has started a GoFundMe for his medical expenses.

We have confirmed that it is legit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-son-recover-from-his-heroic-efforts?attribution_id=sl%3Afb4d71c0-6300-40ce-8642-e683ff2b42c2&lang=en_US&ts=1769053371&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp17_control&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&

Also, we are removing posts that feature news articles or talk solely about the killer. We want to keep our discussions focused on Rebecca, her client that intervened, and their loved ones, and safety protocols and procedures/best practices.

It was violent, senseless, and a huge blow to the FL therapist community, who already face the possibility of violence, whether we work in-office or virtual.

We are offering a virtual processing space for clinicians to come together and talk about their reactions to what happened and air their concerns regarding security and safety, so we can all chip in with our ideas and brainstorm ways to help each other. I will also be putting up some information and resources on best practices for developing physical security while in office and at home.

These are free group sessions and open to any FTN members. You can sign up here: https://www.floridatherapistnetwork.com/booking-calendar/safety-support-group?referral=service_list_widget

You will need to be a site member to sign up, but if you are not and still would like to attend, PM me and I will add you manually so you can get the meeting link.

Monday, January 26th @ 11am

Wednesday, January 28th @ 7pm

Saturday, January 31st @ 1pm

This will give clinicians a better opportunity to be able to attend at least one of them. If a meeting ends up having less than 5 people attend, I will cancel it and inform each person so they can try or another meeting.

I will also be getting up some forms and checklists over the coming days from resources I have and what other members are willing to contribute with so we can help others feel safer.

If there’s anything else we at the modmin team can help with during this time, feel free to reach out to us too.