FORT HOOD, Texas, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Counseling practitioners at Fort Hood, Texas, say they're concerned about the psychological aftermath from last month's massacre as the holiday season nears.
"People are grappling with the unthinkable having happened," says Maxine Trent, a marriage and family therapist, told USA Today. Trent coordinates Scott & White's Military Homefront Services, a counseling program for soldiers and families in nearby Killeen, Texas.
In November, 35 people sought counseling from Trent's clinic after an army psychiatrist opened fire, killing 13 people and wounding scores of others on base Nov. 5.
As Christmas approaches, Trent said he expects more people to seek help, USA Today reported Wednesday.
"People are trying to figure out how to feel safe again. There's just a pervasive sense of sorrow," Trent said. "The holidays can be a difficult time anyway."
Col. Edward McCabe, Fort Hood's senior chaplain and a Catholic priest, said organizations at the post will offer open houses and gatherings for soldiers who cannot go home for the holidays. He said he, too, is concerned about the emotional well-being of the Fort Hood community.
"Even as we approach Christmas, there's a residual angry, aggressive sentiment among the soldiers that remains," he says. "I think it is very much related to the big incident of the shooting, but I can't define it precisely."
Melissa Gonzales, who moved on base with her three teenagers the day before the shootings, told USA Today she has noticed small changes in security procedures.
"I think they're taking extra precautions now," she said. "They're more serious. Everyone is just a little more alert."
While she didn't know any of the victims, Gonzales said she feels the grief.
"I think when you see military soldiers lose their life in their own territory, it just brings sadness to everyone here," she said.
