Helping your child cope with the tragedy in Haiti

Here in the United States, many schools will be supporting children affected by the disaster either because they are from Haiti and have family there or are from another part of the world recently devastated by a natural disaster. It is especially important to remind adults to monitor children’s exposure to media images, particularly young children and those with preexisting trauma risk. The media images of this catastrophe are much more graphic than for any other natural disaster or crisis in recent history. Exposure to these images can trigger trauma response in children and adults. This can be true for children who are not directly connected to this tragedy. Protective factors can include maintaining a sense of normalcy, focusing on people’s resilience and the outpouring of help from around the world, and taking action to help. Please click on the title bar above for tips on how to help children cope.

School Psychology Basics