BILLINGS, Mont. — The annual McGuire Memorial Conference was inspired by the tragic murder of Isabel McGuire and her two daughters by her husband 35 years ago.
This event led to the formation of the Billings Area Family Violence Task Force, which dedicates resources to help individuals involved in domestic violence situations.
This year, the conference’s focus shifted to the mental health and well-being of first responders and community servants who assist victims daily. One of the main messages shared was, “It’s ok to not be ok, and to get help for yourself so you can do really good in the profession that you are in.”
Chelsey Handford, Membership Chair of the Billings Area Family Violence Task Force, emphasized the importance of recognizing and addressing secondary trauma:
“What happens is you get so wrapped up in helping and you don’t pause to stop and think about how the situations that you are helping in might be maybe affecting you negatively. And so that’s really the hope that all of the professionals and individuals that are attending the conference that it really gives them a time to pause and think is secondary trauma affecting them in some way, and get help for themselves,” Handford said…