Carlie Trent's first few days back home have been full of smiles, hugs and catching up with those she didn't see for more than a week.
While Carlie's family wants life to return to normal, clinical and forensic psychologist Diana McCoy says she may face some obstacles along the way.
"It really depends upon the nature of the trauma. We don’t really know what’s happened to this child. Whether she was traumatized prior to the kidnapping, what the relationship she has with her uncle, what happened when she was with him," Dr. McCoy shared.
Even Carlie's rescue may have been traumatizing according to Dr. McCoy. Authorities said suspected kidnapper Gary Simpson was held at gunpoint until he was arrested.
"There’s a lot of variables to consider as to how traumatized she may or may not be. We don’t know. A lot of it really depends on the little girl," Dr. McCoy added. “We all feel for this little girl and we may say, 'oh just forget about it, or get your mind off of it,' where as what she really needs, of course, is to process it, to talk about what’s happened to her. We don’t want her burying it or don’t think about any of that bad stuff, we want her to actually address that."
Another obstacle lies in the courtroom, where Carlie is the main witness in the future trial against Simpson.
"She may be glad, I mean some children who’ve experienced trauma at this age, look forward to getting their say in court, others absolutely do not want cannot deal with being in a public setting," Dr. McCoy stated.
Time is of the essence in a case like Carlie's, according to Dr. McCoy.
"She’s not always going to be the center of attention and that’s what I think. We give her the love, 'glad you are back, glad that you are well' and then we really have to make sure she gets back to normal," Dr. McCoy said.
Carlie is expected to head back to school at Hawkins Elementary Monday morning, according to family.
