Mental health help expected to increase as Colorado Springs continues to mourn

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)--Mental health experts in Southern Colorado are preparing for more calls from people seeking help in the wake of the Club Q shooting. 

Currently, Rocky Mountain Crisis has 230 employees ready to answer calls 24 hours a day. They are expecting the number of calls to increase next week as the Colorado Springs community continues to grieve. 

"We answer about 20,000 calls a month on that line in particular," said CEO of Rocky Mountain Crisis, Bev Marquez.

That's about 16,000 mental health calls per day that professionals at Rocky Mountain Crisis are answering.

"70 percent of them are answering on the crisis line," added Marquez.

Since Club Q's mass shooting both the staff at the national 9-8-8 hotline and Rocky Mountain Crisis have seen an increase in calls.  

"After that really intense focus and wrap-around service piece the sort of ripple effect of what it feels like to have a safety shattered in the community," said Marquez.

Marquez and her staff are currently shifting their focus, answering calls from people who are indirectly impacted by the shooting. 

"Those are the calls that we start to get earlier, is I am concerned about perhaps my child who is in the LGBTQ plus community… "what can I say", '"should I check I," "will it make it worse", added Marquez.

"We've had hundreds of contacts since the shooting," said a Licensed counselor with Inside Out, Chris Wade.

Colorado Springs 'Inside Out' organization is helping LGBTQ youth cope with this tragedy. 

"I've had youth that are afraid to come to the space now, they don't really know what that safety looks like," added Wade.

If you or someone you know is struggling know there is help. You can dial 9-8-8 to be immediately connected with a mental health expert. That resource is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.