BLACKSBURG,Va. – People around the world cheered as word broke that the final member of the Wild Boars soccer team and his coach were pulled from a flooded cave in Thailand they called home for 18 days.
They are currently in quarantine recovering from the grueling ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver.
As the soccer team of boys ages 11 to 16 and their 25-year-old coach receive medical attention for their physical needs, Dr. Russell T. Jones, local trauma expert and clinical psychologist, says they have a long road of healing ahead from the mental scars.
“They are very likely to have nightmares and flashbacks and depression and no doubt some of these kids if not all of these kids will go on to develop symptoms if not disorders of PTSD,” said Jones.
Jones tells 10 News the communities these boys will return to need to know how to properly support them and how to deal with this trauma.
“One training is called psychological first aid and skills for recovery, where the entire community is taught and educated on how do you deal and interact with a person that's been through this kind of event. (For example) what kind of things do you say or don't say,” Jones said.
He says with proper treatment the kids and those involved have a chance of healing.
“Helping the individual become exposed to the event and helping them relive it if you will or be able to talk about it and process it, and make sense of the event and then they will be able to move on quite well,” Jones said.