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Follow on Google News | Helping Children Stay Balanced in the Aftermath of Hurricane SandyHow do you know if your children are managing with the stresses of the storm? Here questions to ask and suggestions for help.
The Mental Health Association of Westchester County After the initial excitement of unexpected days off from school wears off, it’s easy to recognize that children, like adults, may be powerfully impacted by the disruptions and uncertainties caused by Hurricane Sandy. The effects of the storm have interrupted predictability and consistency – both of which provide structure and comfort to children. Perhaps most difficult, is seeing adults lose their sense of balance and control of their environments. It is important to recognize that children – even very young children – sense and absorb the worries and anxieties of adults. The good news is that adults can buffer the impact of these disruptions with some attention. Each child responds in his/her unique way and reactions may change with time. To help your children manage through anxious times, we offer suggestions. You know your child best – which of these is most helpful for your family? • Maintain routines and expectations as much as possible – including meals and sleep time. • Reassure children. Young children especially may require repeated reassurances. • Answer questions calmly and honestly. It is ok if you don’t know some answers. Children will be comforted by your tone as much as by your words. Children need to hear that you will get through the difficult time together. • Recognize that children’s needs for information and comfort changes with their age and developmental stage. • Keep children busy with activities and opportunities to burn excess energy – especially if they’ve been indoors for extended times. Simple old-fashioned activities like Red Light/Green Light, Simon Says, doing Jumping Jacks or planning an indoor scavenger may be just right. • Children often manage anxieties by re-creating the situations through play. Provide play items such as puppets, drawing materials, and dolls. Including community helpers such as fire fighters, police, and utility workers. • Irritability and challenging behaviors are also ways that children demonstrate their upset. Try to help children name and talk about the underlying worries. • Limit exposure to media coverage of disaster – for children of all ages. • Children hear more of adult conversations that we expect. Be mindful of conversations they may overhear. • Take care of yourself in order to take care of your family. Children show stress in different ways at different ages. Pre-school children may revert to behaviors they had outgrown, such as thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, fear of sleeping in the dark or sleeping alone. Reassure children about their safety and about who will take care of them if you cannot. If your child is with others, try to maintain planned times to talk. Allow them time to talk about and express fears through play. Although this is a difficult time, it is an opportunity to help children learn to name feelings and to manage them. School-aged children require information expressed at their level of understanding. Use your children’s questions as guides to how much information to offer. A good rule of thumb is to answer their questions directly without adding unnecessary information. Listen for “hidden” questions – children may actually be asking about their own and your safety in indirect ways. Remain positive and reassuring while being honest. Adolescents may turn to friends for information, connection and support. This is an especially important time to keep lines of communication open with your child. Speak honestly about the impact, if any, on the family and plans for getting back to usual routines. Consider including your adolescent’s friends and their family members in conversations about the event and emotional responses to it. Like younger children, adolescents may revert to earlier, immature behaviors. Also like younger children, adolescents are affected by the reactions of adults close to them, even though they try to appear unaffected. Adolescents who are particularly impacted are vulnerable to risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol use. When to Seek Help Like adults, most youth will regain their sense of equilibrium with a little time and with a return to routines. However, some, especially those who have been most directly impacted and those who have experienced prior traumas may require additional support. If your child’s distress is so intense that it interferes with daily life, speak with a trusted professional such as a school counselor, health care provider, mental health provider, or spiritual advisor. There are numerous resources available to help during this time. Resources Westchester County: www.westchestergov.com offers updated information, information about maintaining health during cleanup, transportation and shelters. Additional severe weather information and links to multiple sources of local information is found at http://keepingsafe.westchestergov.com/ Westchester Municipalities: Mental Health Association of Westchester www.mhawestchester.org. MHA offers Walk in Services and Support at its White Plains location – 300 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains and in Mt, Kisco at 344 Main Street, Suite 301. Mental Health America www.nmha.org offers information and tips for coping with stress during disaster. National Disaster Distress Hotline provides year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 via telephone (1-800-985-5990) End
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