Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters: What Community Members Can Do - Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters

Written by NIMH

Identify children who need the most support. Help them obtain it. Monitor their healing.

Identify Children Who:

• Refuse to go places that remind them of the event
• Seem numb emotionally
• Show little reaction to the event
• Behave dangerously

These children may need extra help.

In general adult helpers should:

• Attend to children

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  • Listen to them
  • Accept/ do not argue about their feelings
  • Help them cope with the reality of their experiences
• Reduce effects of other stressors like:
  • Frequent moving or changes in place of residence
  • Long periods away from family and friends
  • Pressures at school
  • Transportation problems
  • Fighting within the family
  • Being hungry
• Monitor healing
  • It takes time
  • Do not ignore severe reactions
  • Attend to sudden changes in behaviors, speech, language use, or in emotional/feeling states
• Remind children that adults:
  • Love them
  • Support them
  • Will be with them when possible

How Community Members Can Help:

After violence or disaster community members should:

• Identify and address their own feelings — this will allow them to help others
• Allow children to:
  • Express feelings
  • Discuss the event
    • Before going back to routines
    • But not if children don't want to
• Use their buildings and institutions as gathering places to promote support
• Help people identify resources available to provide assistance
• Emphasize community strengths and resources that sustain hope
• Be sensitive to:
  • Difficult behavior
  • Strong emotions
  • Different cultural responses
• Get mental health professionals to:
  • Counsel children
  • Help them see that fears are normal
  • Offer play therapy
  • Offer art therapy
  • Help children develop
    • Coping skills
    • Problem-solving skills
    • Ways to deal with fear
  • Hold parent meetings to discuss:
    • The event
    • Their child's response
    • How help is being given to their child
    • How parents can help their child
    • Other available support