Additional Resources to Help Children Manage Distress

We provided a number of resources in our original blog posting on Helping Children Manage Distress.  Unfortunately, current events have us revisiting this topic yet again.  It's important to remember that educators can reinforce students’ sense of security by making classrooms predictable and welcoming, enabling students to process their reactions to events, providing access to mental health supports as needed, and connecting families with other available resources, when needed.  Additional resources that may be helpful for families and teachers include the following:

Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers  This resource from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) can also be downloaded in a variety of languages.

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators  This NASP resource can also be downloaded in multiple languages.

Most children and youth are resilient and will cope well with the support and caring of their families, teachers, friends, and other caring adults. However, some students may be at risk for more intense reactions. Ongoing proactive measures can help children develop the skills they need to cope effectively with incidents like the the recent mass shooting, including:

Building Resiliency: Helping Children Learn to Weather Tough Times

Supporting Children's Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators

As always, your Student Services colleagues are here to provide additional support when needed.  Please let us know how we can help.

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