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During and after a crisis, children may feel vulnerable
and overwhelmed by what they hear through adults and peers or what they see on
the news. During these times, children often look to parents for how to deal
with significant distress.
What is Secondary Traumatic Stress?
You may wonder why it's important to help your child
process feelings during these times. These experiences can lead to significant
emotional and behavioral problems that can profoundly alter children’s lives (https://www.nctsn.org). The term
Secondary Trauma defines what happens to us when we witness, hear, or tell the
trauma that happens to others. This can produce symptoms in your child that can
mimic those of first-hand trauma.
Common Symptoms in Young People:
-Increased Sensitivity to stress
-Excessive worry
-Poor Impulse control
-Mayor
aislamiento
-Social anxiety
-Depression
-Nightmares
When helping your child process an act of violence or
tragedy, it's important to be able to ground yourself first. Pay attention to
your emotions and feelings before starting a conversation with them. Control
any feelings of anxiety or anger within yourself as you seek to find the right
time to connect with your child. Being prepared to be there for your child
involves an increase in self-awareness. This will help you be more attuned with
what they need without projecting your own needs onto them. Determine what is
most important for you and your child to discuss once you control your own
emotions.
When starting the conversation with your child, it's
important to allow them to guide the conversation. Don't ask a lot of
questions, just listen as your goal is to make your child feel safe while
expressing their emotions with you.
Here's a helpful guide to navigating your approach:
Ask some questions
about what you've seen or heard on the news.
Give them space to
ask any relevant questions based on what they have seen, heard or experienced.
Gather information
and provide useful answers to any question large or small.
Offer comfort and
security as you validate shared feelings.
The main message is
to let them know that thier feelings are normal and that you are a safe place
of support.
As you gain confidence in communicating with your child,
you may find the need to limit their exposure to news and social media that can
overwhelm them with information. Allow breaks from technology by increasing
family activities and observe what works to calm and soothe them.
If you notice an
increase in the symptoms listed above, be sure to evaluate whether your child
should talk to a mental health professional.
To learn more about Secondary Traumatic
Stress use the following resources:
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/trauma-toolkit/secondary-traumatic-stress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uf9C6YW4II
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/informacion-en-espanol
Insurance: United Health Care, Cigna, Aetna, Optum , HSA & FSA accepted and Apple Pay accepted
Serving North Carolina
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