Mass Shooting Survivors Support Groups

Nobody around you understands what happened. Friends try. Family tries. But the people who sat in the same waiting room, who heard the same sounds, who filed the same police reports — they're the only ones who don't need an explanation before they can listen.

Finding that kind of peer connection isn't easy when you're exhausted and wary of strangers. Here's where to look.

National Organizations That Specialize in Mass Violence

A few organizations offer programs specifically for families affected by mass casualty events:

Tuesday's Children was founded after September 11 and supports families affected by mass violence, military loss, and terrorism. Its programs include peer support, family engagement, wellness services, and youth mentoring; availability depends on the program and eligibility.

Voices Center for Resilience (formerly Voices of September 11th) provides case management, support groups, and referrals specifically for communities affected by mass violence and terrorism. Their model emphasizes long-term resilience rather than one-time crisis counseling.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime maintains a Directory of Crime Victim Services you can search for local victim assistance programs. Many state-level victim advocacy offices also coordinate peer support groups after high-profile incidents.

Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) runs chapters across the US. While not mass-violence-specific, their groups include families from mass casualty events and provide a structured space where homicide grief isn't treated as unusual.

Online Communities and Virtual Support

Geography shouldn't limit access to people who understand. Several options exist for virtual peer support:

• The Dougy Center offers peer grief groups in the Portland area and some virtual options for its bereavement groups; its program finder can help locate other groups
• GriefShare runs video-based support groups through local churches nationwide — search their directory for groups near you
• Private Facebook groups organized by specific events (search the event name plus "families" or "survivors") often become long-term peer networks
• TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) serves people grieving a military or veteran loved one, including line-of-duty deaths; it is not a general support service for nonmilitary deaths

Be cautious with unmoderated online spaces. In the aftermath of high-profile events, conspiracy theorists and harassers sometimes infiltrate survivor forums. Groups that require identity verification or referral from a victim advocate are safer.

What to Expect From a Support Group

The first meeting is the hardest. You don't have to share anything. Most groups follow a loose structure — a facilitator opens, participants speak if they want to, and there's a closing ritual. Some things that help:

• Groups organized by loss type (homicide, sudden violence, terrorism) tend to feel more relevant than general bereavement groups
• Time-limited groups (8–12 weeks) work well if you want structure with an endpoint
• Drop-in groups are better if your schedule is unpredictable or you're not ready to commit
• Look for facilitators trained in traumatic grief — standard grief counseling models don't always account for the forensic, legal, and media pressures that come with mass violence

If the first group doesn't feel right, that's normal. It doesn't mean groups aren't for you. It means that particular combination of people, facilitator, and format wasn't the match.

When Professional Support Is Needed Alongside Peer Support

Peer support and professional therapy serve different purposes. Support groups provide validation and shared experience. Therapy provides clinical intervention for trauma symptoms that are disrupting your daily functioning — intrusive imagery, severe sleep disruption, inability to eat, or dissociative episodes.

Both can run in parallel. Many survivors find that peer support gives them language for what they're experiencing, and therapy gives them tools to process it.

The After a Mass Casualty Event toolkit includes a children's grief support plan, role delegation worksheets, and a forensic timeline tracker that can help you organize the administrative chaos so you can focus on healing — including finding the right support network for your family.