Resources for coping with news of traumatic events

From today’s MindWise email:

After hearing the news of the mass murder of students and teachers in Texas, many of us will experience a range of reactions. This is especially true for children.

 Reactions may include emotions (sadness, anger, shock, fear, etc.), changes in thoughts (difficulty concentrating, repetitive thoughts of the situation), physical reactions (feeling sick, headaches, not sleeping well, etc.) and behaviors (returning to older behaviors such as bedwetting, needing physical closeness with parents, fighting more, etc.).

Traumatic events often lead people to feel they have lost control of their sense of safety. Here are resources on how to help children cope with the frightening news and their reactions:

• Talking with Children About Traumatic Events

• Talking to Children About a Shooting (from nctsn.org)

• Children and Trauma

We hope these resources provide a source of comfort and support during this difficult time.

ALSO see:

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network developed the following to help children, families, educators, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together. These resources include:

• Talking to Children about the Shooting

• Helping Youth After a Community Trauma: Tips for Educators (En Español)

• Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen  (En Español)

• Talking to Teens about Violence (En Español)

• Tips for Talking to Students about Violence; and,

• Coping After Mass Violence: For Adults.