A free counseling service from Warren-Yazoo Mental Health Service is under way to help the victims of a tornado on April 24..

Sponsored by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Project Hope is available to people coping with the aftermath of the tornado that ripped through the state, killing 10 people.

“We’re trying to head off any major problems,” Warren-Yazoo Mental Health Service crisis counselor Rosalyn Glascoe said. “We’ll talk with them and let them tell us what their fears or anxieties are. If they have children, we have a booklet on how to help children cope.” Unresolved problems may become magnified, she said.

Glascoe, who has counseled victims of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, is leading a team of three counselors who offer crisis and stress counseling by visiting tornado victims by phone or at their homes in Warren, Yazoo, Attala, Choctaw and Holmes counties. The initial contact might last as long as 15 minutes to more than an hour, depending on the client, she said.

Information and referrals to other agencies are also available.

She said her team has visited with more than 200 residents.

The service began last month and will continue through June 28. To contact Glascoe and her team, call 662-571-7600.