What I Wish Crisis Response Leaders Knew
When a community experiences trauma, the systems meant to help often move faster than people can heal.
As someone with lived experience navigating a public crisis, I’ve learned firsthand what works — and what often gets overlooked.
This post shares three essential considerations for every crisis response leader, mental health provider, or nonprofit team to keep in mind when supporting individuals in the aftermath of tragedy.
In 2016, my life split in two — before and after.
In the days that followed a public tragedy, I found myself navigating systems that were well-intentioned, but often impersonal. There were hotlines and handouts, vigils and soundbites. But what I remember most… is how easy it was to feel invisible in a room full of support.
No one asked how I was really doing.
No one noticed the quiet.
No one was prepared for what would happen months later — when the vigils stopped, the press left, and the grief caught up.
Not Everyone Reaches Out, But We’re Still Listening
Today, I support crisis response teams, community mental health professionals, and nonprofit leaders in enhancing our response to crises and providing long-term care for communities.
And I say this often:
Just because someone isn’t asking for help doesn’t mean they don’t need it.
Some of us are whispering — not because we want to be quiet, but because we’ve learned that speaking up doesn’t always lead to safety.
If we only build systems for those who shout, we will always miss the ones who whisper.
3 Things I Carry With Me, and Wish Others Knew
These aren’t critiques. They’re reflections shared in the spirit of making care feel more like connection, rather than compliance.
1. People Remember How They Felt in Your Presence
I don’t remember the intake forms.
I remember the counselor who sat beside me, rather than across from me.
The text I didn’t expect. The person who waited until I was ready to talk.
2. The Right Resources Still Need the Right Relationships
You can have the best programs on paper, but that doesn't guarantee success. But if people don’t feel emotionally safe walking through your door, they may never come back.
3. Follow-Up: Is the Care Plan
I didn’t need all the answers in the first week.
I needed to know I wouldn’t be forgotten in week twelve.
Recovery isn’t an event — it’s a relationship. And it lasts longer than a news cycle.
What We Can Do Differently
You don’t have to have the perfect words.
You don’t need a new budget line to be more human.
Sometimes, all it takes is choosing presence over performance.
In my work now, I share a lived-experience-informed framework to help organizations listen more deeply, respond more relationally, and build systems that people can trust, not just in crisis, but long after.
Want to Bring This to Your Work?
If you’re part of a crisis response team, a mental health organization, or a healing-centered community project, I’d love to support you.
Download a free resource from JG CoLab
Choose from:
The JG CoLab Starter Kit
The Crisis to Connection Framework
The Community Healing Starter Kit
Invite me to speak with your team or agency.
I offer trauma-informed trainings, crisis response consulting, and keynote speaking with lived experience to help organizations deepen care and build trust after a crisis.
