To assist schools in helping students cope with violence, loss, and grief, the California Department of Education (CDE) has provided some helpful resources that are applicable for coping with any tragedy. For more information, contact your school district's coordinator for crisis response or your county office of education. Counseling and student support specialists (school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses) and local mental health specialists can assist you in working with individual students and staff.
Resources on Coping with Violence, Loss, and Grief
American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (Outside Source)
Guidelines to help parents and teachers understand and deal effectively with children's reactions to a crisis situation.
- Parent Guidelines* (PDF; Outside Source)
- Teacher Guidelines* (PDF; Outside Source)
American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Crisis Guidelines (Outside Source)
ASCA has information about how to help children and youths deal with the deployment of a loved one to the Middle East. Topics covered are understanding reactions to separation in children, understanding reactions to separation in adults, tips for school personnel, and tips for parents.
Bullying and Hate Motivated Behavior Prevention
This CDE Web page provides resources on how to identify and discuss bullying and how to help schools and districts develop effective procedures for dealing with hate-motivated behavior and crime.
Mental Health
Psychological and Mental Health Services provides strategies, resources, and training in psychological and mental health issues, including coping with tragedy, crisis intervention and prevention, school psychology and suicide prevention.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Crisis Guidelines (Outside Source)
NASP provides information to help parents, school personnel, mental health professionals, and others to assist children as they cope with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the United States. Current topics addressed include coping with terrorism, promoting tolerance, recognizing severe trauma reaction, managing anger and other strong emotions, preventing suicide, creating school memorials, understanding children and war, and helping children with special needs cope. Some handouts are translated into other languages. The following helpful publications from NASP can be found its Web site:
- Talking to Children About Violence (PDF; Outside Source)
- Parents Called to Active Duty: Helping Children Cope (PDF; Outside Source)
- Helping Children Deal With Tragic Events in Unsettling Times (Outside Source)
- Crisis Website Resources (Outside Source)
Terrorism, Trauma, and Tragedies: A Counselor's Guide to Preparing and Responding (Outside Source)
This collection of practical strategies answers questions about preparing for potential terrorist attacks and is useful to all counselors and other student support personnel in the schools, in the workplace, and at home. Lessons learned from counselors who provided services to those persons directly affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 are included as well as first-hand accounts by those persons who have dealt with school shootings and other tragedies.
* Note: Permission is granted for reproduction and dissemination of the documents with asterisks.
Resources on Coping with War and the Threat of Terrorism
Children
and Fear of War and Terrorism - Tips for Parents and Teachers (Outside Source)
This resource emphasizes how children are likely to be
affected during this difficult period in history and what parents
and teachers can do to acknowledge children's feelings and help
them feel safe.
Dealing
with War and Terrorism in the Classroom (Outside Source)
Education World offers educators tips on how to address issues
of war and terrorism with their students. This site offers strategies
for discussing the threats of war and terrorism with different
age groups.
Facing
Fear: Helping Young People Deal With Terrorism and Other Tragic
Events (Outside Source)
American Red Cross' Facing Fear Curriculum offers
ready-to-go downloadable lesson plans aligned with national health
social studies, and language arts standards; activities; and demonstrations
that can be incorporated within core subject areas. Topics include
"Facts About Terrorism and War", and curricula are available
for students in Kindergarten through grade two, grades three through
five, grades six through eight, and grades nine through twelve.
How
to prepare our children and stay involved in their education during
deployment (PDF; Outside Source)
Developed by the Military
Child Education Coalition (Outside Source), this booklet contains children's
drawings and was designed to assist parents and educators in supporting
children whose parents have been deployed.
How
to Talk to Kids About a Possible War (Outside Source)
KidsPeace President, C.T. O'Donnell II, and clinical experts offer
suggestions for parents to use when talking with their children.
National
Mental Health Association Coping Series (NMHA) (Outside Source)
The NMHA has developed the Coping with Disaster Fact Sheet
Series to help adults and children cope with stress. The series
includes the following two fact sheets on coping with war:
Talking
with Kids About the News (Outside Source)
This article covers why it is important to talk with kids about
what they see on the news and provides ten tips for talking with
kids about the news.
