Tips for Talking to Children in Trauma
Interventions at Home for
Preschoolers to Adolescents
Following exposure to a disaster
or traumatic event, children are
likely to show signs of stress.
Signs include sadness and anxiety,
outbursts and tantrums, aggressive
behavior, a return to earlier
behavior that was outgrown,
stomachaches and headaches, and
an ongoing desire to stay home
from school or away from friends.
These reactions are normal and
usually do not last long. Whether
your child is a preschooler,
adolescent, or somewhere in
between, you can help your child
by following the suggestions below.
Preschooler
| Children are just as affected
as adults are by a disaster or
traumatic event.Some may be
affected even more, but no one
realizes it. Without intending
to, we, as parents, may send
our children a message that
it is not all right to talk about
the experience. This may
cause confusion, self-doubt,
and feelings of helplessness
for a child. Children need to
hear that it is normal to feel
frightened during and after a
disaster or traumatic event.
When you acknowledge and
normalize these feelings for
your children, it will help them
cope with their experience
and move on. |
- Stick to regular family routines.
- Make an extra effort to provide
comfort and reassurance.
- Avoid unnecessary separations.
- Permit a child to sleep in the
parents’ room temporarily.
- Encourage expression of feelings
and emotions through play,
drawing, puppet shows,
and storytelling.
- Limit media exposure.
- Develop a safety plan for
future incidents.
Elementary Age Children
- Provide extra attention and
consideration.
- Set gentle but firm limits for
acting out behavior.
- Listen to a child’s repeated telling
of his/her trauma experience.
- Encourage expression of
thoughts and feelings through
conversation and play.
- Provide home chores and
rehabilitation activities that
are structured, but not too
demanding.
- Rehearse safety measures for
future incidents.
- Point out kind deeds and the
ways in which people helped
each other during the disaster or
traumatic event.
Additional Resources
American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry (AACAP)
3615 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016-3007
Local phone: 202-966-7300
Toll-free: 800-333-7636
Fax: 202-966-2891
Web site: www.aacap.org
National Association of School Psychologists
National Emergency Assistance Team
4340 East West Highway, Suite 402
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 301-657-0270
Web site: www.nasponline.org/NEAT
National Center for Children Exposed to Violence
Yale Child Study Center
230 South Frontage Road, P.O. Box 207900
New Haven, CT 06520-7900
Local phone: 203-785-7047
Toll-free: 877-49 NCCEV (496-2238)
Fax: 203-785-4608
Web site: www.nccev.org/violence/children
_terrorism.htm
National Mental Health Association
2001 N. Beauregard Street, 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
Local phone: 703-684-7742
Toll-free: 800-969-NMHA (6642)
Fax: 703-684-5968
Web site: www.nmha.org/reassurance/
anniversary/index.cfm
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
(Information for Children & Adolescents)
P.O. Box 2012
Jessup, MD 20794-2012
Toll-free: 800-480-2520
Web site: www.fema.gov/kids/
National Institute of Mental Health
Offi ce of Communications
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Local phone: 301-443-4513
Toll-free: 866-615-NIMH (6464)
TTY: 301-443-8431
Fax: 301-443-4279
Web site: www.nimh.nih.gov
|
Preadolescents and
Adolescents
- Provide extra attention and
consideration.
- Be there to listen to your children,
but don’t force them to talk
about feelings and emotions.
- Encourage discussion of trauma experiences
among peers.
- Promote involvement with community recovery work.
Urge participation in physical activities.
- Encourage resumption of regular social and
recreational activities.
- Rehearse family safety measures for future incidents.
It is important to remember that you do not have to
“fix” how your child feels. Instead, focus on helping
your child understand and deal with his or her
experiences. Healing is an evolving state for most
children, but some may need professional help.
If signs of stress do not subside after a few weeks, or
if they get worse, consider consulting a mental health
professional who has special training in working with
children. In time, and with help, your children will a
return to health.
Note: Inclusion of a resource in this fact sheet does not imply
endorsement by the Center for Mental Health Services, the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NMH02-0138
9/2005
|
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