Barrie's Picks: Helping Children & Teens Cope with Tragedy

Dramatic, disturbing news events can leave parents speechless and not knowing how to help their children and teens. This article gives age-based tips to parents on how to talk to kids about the news - and listen to them too. By Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media's Parenting Editor, with contributions from Marie-Louise Mares, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This article from the Child Mind Institute presents information on what parents can do to aid scared kids in processing grief and fear in a healthy way. Topics include: Break the news; Take your cues from your child; Model calm; Be reassuring; Help children express their feelings; Be developmentally appropriate; Be available; and Memorialize those who have been lost. Author: Harold S. Koplewicz, MD

This page from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website gives a list of things parents and adults can do after a shooting to help children and teens cope. Links to several ASCA recorded webinars on helping children in crisis are also included, as are links to related websites and helpful documents and publications available from other organizations.

Provides a list of fifteen tips for adults when giving information and guidance to children and youth to help them cope with terrorism or other frightening acts intentional violence. The page also has links to related resources. Presented by the National Association of School Psychologists.

This article gives suggestions for parents and other adults struggling with what they should say and share with children and what not to say or share with them after disasters. Topics covered include: Where to Start – All Ages; Avoiding Graphic Details & Exposure to Media; Talking to Very Young Children; Talking to Gradeschool Children & Teens; and Signs a Child Might Not Be Coping Well. The site is presented by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).