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The
impact on children and families of disasters, trauma, or violence
presents many challenges to families and health professionals.
This guide provides resources to help children and adolescents
cope with injury; loss of loved ones; destruction of homes, schools,
and workplaces; and other trauma.
The American
Academy of Child & Adolescent
Psychiatry's Facts
for Families series provides information on a variety of
issues that affect children, adolescents, and their families.
Selected topics include Children and Grief, Children and TV Violence,
Helping Children After a Disaster, and Talking to Children About
Terrorism and War. The fact sheets are available in English and
Spanish.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has assembled
a collection of Coping
Resources for parents, educators, students, schools, and
pediatricians, including resources on violence prevention, school
safety, and promoting mental health.
The American Red Cross provides educational materials
to help people of all ages work through the emotional aspects
of disaster. Masters
of Disaster contains lessons and activities for educators
to use in helping students (K-12) work through a broad range
of questions, feelings and reactions following a tragic event. Maintaining
a Healthy State of Mind provides information for adults,
parents, and caregivers and middle to high school students about
what reactions to expect and how to help themselves and others
cope with unexpected events. The booklet, Listen,
Protect and Connect presents steps for adults to talk with
children during times of stress.
The MedlinePlus Web page, Disasters
and Emergency Preparedness, links to overviews of family
emergency preparedness, coping information, law and policy,
and pages for specific emergency situations such as giving
birth in emergency situations and emergency management for
children and seniors. The page also includes links to news
on current disasters and relief work.
Mental Health America's (formerly the National
Mental Health Association) Web page, Helping
Children Cope with Loss, contains information for parents,
educators, and others on signs of grieving in children and adolescents
and how to help them overcome loss. The Web page also links to
organizations and resources that can provide useful materials
and referral information.
The NYU Child Study Center provides the booklet, Caring
for Kids After Trauma and Death, A Guide for Parents and Health
Professionals. The 68-page guide (available in English
and Spanish) describes how children grieve at different ages
and the specific ways teachers, mental health professionals,
and parents can help them with the immediate and ongoing tasks
of grieving. Talking
to Kids About School Violence provides resources to help
educators, parents, and other caregivers support children and
adolescents.
The National Association of School Psychologists'
resource, Talking
to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers,
lists ways that parents and school personnel can help children
feel safe by establishing a sense of normalcy and security and
talking with them about their fears. Points to emphasize when
talking to children are also suggested.
The
National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement offers
guidelines for responding to the death of a student or school
staff, template letters for schools, and other resources.
The National
Child Traumatic Stress Network's Web site provides resources
for parents and other caregivers, educators, the media, and
health professionals on standards of care and access to services
for traumatized children, their families, and communities throughout
the United States.
The National Children's Advocacy Center's Psychological
Impact of Disaster on Children lists resources pertaining
to psychological trauma experienced by children as a result
of natural disaster.
The National Institute of Mental Health's booklet, Helping
Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters,
is written for professionals and describes the impact of violence
and disasters on children and adolescents with suggestions
for minimizing long-term emotional harm.
The Nemours Center for Children's Health Media
Web site, KidsHealth contains
educational resources for children, adolescents, parents, educators,
and others. Selected topics include Dealing with Feelings, Staying
Safe, Emotions and Behavior, Positive Parenting, and In the News.
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