Talking to Children about High-Profile Violent Acts

The ongoing occurrence of acts of mass violence in Illinois and across the nation sparks concern about public safety, and may cause traumatic reminders for those communities who have previously experienced violence. In response, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) regularly shares resources to help children, families, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together. These resources include:

• College Students: Coping After the Recent Shooting

• Coping After Mass Violence

• Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After Mass Violence

• Talking to Children about Mass Violence

• Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen (En Espanol)

• Psychological Impact of Mass Violence

• Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers (En Español)

• Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers (En Español)

• Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers (En Español)

• After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal (En Español)

• Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event (En Español)

• Once I Was Very Very Scared – children’s book for young children 

• Tips for Families on Addressing the Anniversary

• Creating School Active Shooter/Intruder Drills

• I Don’t Know How to Address Worries About My Child’s Safety at School (webinar)

• Pause-Reset-Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing (En Español) (for responders)

In response to recent local shootings, these resources may be helpful:

• Talking to Children about the Shooting

• Helping Youth After a Community Trauma: Tips for Educators (En Español)

• Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen (En Español)

• Talking to Teens about Violence (En Español)

• Tips for Talking to Students about Violence

• Coping After Mass Violence: For Adults

• For Teens: Coping After Mass Violence(En Español)

• Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers (En Español)

• Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers(En Español)

• Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers (En Español)

• Guiding Adults in Talking to Children about Death and Attending Services

• After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal

• Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event

• Once I Was Very Very Scared – children’s book for young children

• After the Injury—website for families with injured children

• Health Care Toolbox—website for pediatric health providers working with injured children

• Pause-Reset-Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing (En Español) (for responders)

Psychological First Aid

The NCTSN also has resources for responders on Psychological First Aid (PFA; En Español). PFA is an early intervention to support children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by these types of events. PFA Mobile and the PFA Wallet Card (En Español) provide a quick reminder of the core actions. The PFA online training course is also available on the NCTSN Learning Center.

Additional PFA resources for schools include:

• Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) – Field operations guide

• Providing PFA-S: For Health-Related Professionals – handout

• Providing PFA-S: For Principals and Administrators – handout

• Providing PFA-S: For School Support Staff – handout

• Providing PFA-S: For Teachers - handout

From the National Mass Violence and Victimization Resource Center

• Transcend (mobile app to assist with recovery after mass violence)

• Rebuild your Community: Resources for Community Leaders

• Media Guidelines for Homicide Family Survivors

• Timeline of Activities to Promote Mental Health Recovery

• Self-Help: Resources for Survivors

• E-learning Courses: Trainings for Clinicians

• Resources for Victim Assistance Professionals

From the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University

• Grief Leadership: Leadership in the Wake of Tragedy

• Leadership Communication: Anticipating and Responding to Stressful Events

• Coping with Stress Following a Mass Shooting

Disaster Helpline

SAMHSA has a Disaster Distress Helpline – call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.