It’s been more than a week since Madison Scott was positively identified by the BC Coroners Service, 12 years after she was first declared missing.
About 2-thousand people grieved Saturday night during a candlelight vigil.
However, the healing process could take a considerable length of time.
Tracy Larson is the owner of HML Wellness in Prince George and a clinical counselor – she outlines the type of emotions parents often face when they lose a child.
“When working with parents who have lost a child, quite often what comes up are feelings of guilt even when they may have had nothing to do with what happened. There is often the feeling that they have failed their child in some way or that they didn’t do enough to protect them.”
“Other things that will come up are the idea of how do I continue living when my loved one isn’t. There can be other situations where people will feel like talking about feeling like a different person and quite often with grief your identity seems to shift and you might not know who you are anymore.”
Larson who has assisted grieving parents in the past stated moving forward is often the hardest part.
“When I work with this we often work on who are you now? How do you retain that person that you were but also integrate this massive loss into your life.”
Furthermore, the safety fears of parents who have children in the Vamderhoof-area may not disappear.
“I am sure other parents in the community are feeling concerned and have been concerned over the last 12 years for their daughters – how do you let go of that or do you? Because hanging on to those fears maybe is protective for your family and your community.”
For those, who are more open and want to reach out to friends and family, Larson mentioned reconnecting with those closest to you can be a big part of the healing process.
“In a small community, that loss touches everyone because it is so small. Part of the process I think will be people connecting with one another and having conversations about Madison and having conversations about the family and the situation.”
“I hear often from people that when they have had a huge loss they are surprised by how some of their friends or people close to them are able to step up in a way that is very meaningful and allow them to not and allow them to not be OK.”
Other mental health services available include the Canadian Mental Health Association Foundry, Omineca Lakes Mental Health, and the Vanderhoof Health Centre.
A link to further resources can be found here.