Jacob Blake's children who witnessed him being shot are understandably shaken to the core -- and the process of healing will begin sooner than later ... TMZ has learned.
Jacob's uncle, Justin Blake, tells us the three kids who saw their dad shot 7 times in the back are in desperate need of professional help, and the family is already looking for an appropriate therapist or team of therapists.
So far, Justin says they've reviewed two services which make sense for them, and they'll decide as a family which route to go in a matter of days. Fact is ... the kids are extremely emotional, and waiting will only exacerbate the situation.
The kids haven't visited their dad since the shooting, because the family says it would be too traumatic. As for FaceTiming their father, we're told it hasn't happened yet ... even that would be too difficult for the kids to handle. The only ones who've seen Jacob in person thus far are his own parents.
Jacob's children -- including the other three -- are all being cared for by his relatives.
Jacob's father says the 3 children are scarred for life after what they've been through. Remember, they were no more than a few feet away inside the car when a cop unloaded at least seven rounds into their dad's back. Jacob is now paralyzed from the waist down, though hopefully, it's not permanent.
A GoFundMe for all expenses incurred by the Blake family has already been started, and raised more than $1.5 million.