HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail from Rebecca Fleischman, Child Mind Institute – Trauma Support & Resources for CA Wildfires Schuman, Amy
From: Menchaca, Clarissa
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2019 9:07 AM
To: Schuman,Amy
Subject: FW: Support and Resources from the Child Mind Institute
Attachments: Child MindInstitute_TraumaToolkit_NaturaIDisaster.pdf
Correspondence.
C lO cu M e,vidhtca i
Associate Clerk of the Board
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.33081 F: 530338.7120
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From: Rebecca Fleischman<Rebecca.Fleischman@childmind.org>
Sent:Wednesday, November 14, 2018 9:24 AM
To: Kirk, Maureen <MKirk@buttecounty.net>; BOS District 4<District4@buttecounty.net>;Teeter, Doug
<DTeeter@buttecounty.net>; Connelly, Bill<BConnelly@buttecounty.net>; Wahl, Larry<LWahl@buttecounty.net>
Cc: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject:Support and Resources from the Child Mind Institute
Dear Supervisors Kirk, Lambert,Teeter, Connelly, and Wahl,
I am writing to express my deepest sympathy and offer support in the midst of the wildfires in California. Events such as
this are scary and upsetting for us all, especially for our children. We at the Child Mind Institute stand ready to help in
any way we can.
We have free trauma resources on our website that you may find helpful as your community comes together to support
and comfort children coping with and trying to understand this tragedy. In particular, our resources help guide parents,
teachers and other adults who work with children:
http://childmind.org/our-impact/trauma-response/trauma-resources/
These resources are free to view and download, and are available in 10 languages. I have also attached our Trauma
Toolkit,which has been specially adapted for children who have experienced natural disasters.
My colleague,Jamie Howard, PhD, is available for consultation to assist community leaders and educators in helping
students navigate this tragedy. Dr. Howard may be reached atJamie.Howard@childmind.org.
Please feel free to share this information, and let Dr. Howard or me know if the Child Mind Institute may be of service.
All my best,
Rebecca
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Rebecca L. Fleischman, MPA
Child Mind Institute
Project Manager, School &Community Programs
p: 646.625.4227
f: 646.625.4348
childmind.org I Location
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(7),
Traumatic Event Toolkit CHILD
SM DMIND
Immediate Response
If the event takes place in your school:
Focus on principles of"Psychological First Aid":attend to your students'immediate needs,e.g., medical care,water/food,
designate a place to stay until parents arrive,disseminate information to community about student safety,etc.
Identify several point people to serve specific functions during a crisis. Ideally these people are identified ahead of time.
Implement a tiered system with designated point people to account for all students in the school. For elementary
and middle school children,also note when they are connected to their guardians. For example,each classroom
teacher reports to a grade Level point person, who reports to the assistant principal.
Designate a point person to coordinate communication with the school community using the school's website,
Facebook page, or a live twitter feed to disseminate important information,such as medical and mental health
resources. If you do not have a list of these resources, please contact CMI and we will help to compile a List of
local resources for your school.
Please note that social media is often most efficient for keeping the school community informed about the
school's response and resumption of school activities.
If applicable, designate a point person to work with law enforcement and local officials, and to field questions
from the media.
School social workers or psychologists may reach out to victims'families to offer community resources for mental
health or disaster relief as needed.
Local practitioners or your school mental health staff may provide crisis counseling for students in the days
following a trauma. With these services, emphasis should be placed on coping and safety, not debriefing the
details of the traumatic event.
-> Distribute relevant Child Mind Institute materials to parents and teachers (see attached) about helpful ways to
talk with their children/students.
If the event takes place at another school, but your students are aware and concerned:
Encourage students to discuss the events during a specific class period,such as homeroom or first period of the
day. Equip teachers to have a helpful conversation by providing them with the attached CMI tips for talking to
students about traumatic events.
Distribute CMI tips to parents as well,so they can talk to their children in a way that is helpful.
1. Reach out to the affected community and contribute in some way, e.g., have young students write letters of
support, send food or raise money with a student bake sale.
This toolkit is a resource of the Child Mind Institute. Visit childmind.org for additional information.
facebook.com/ChildMindlnstituten @ChildMindDotOrg
Intermediate Response'
Help For Teachers and School Staff
Teachers and school staff are in the unique position of being both traumatized by an event and responsible for helping
their students. It's important to support teachers and staff in this difficult role by providing them with clear guidelines and
opportunities for peer support.
Guidelines for Teachers:
When students return to school,give them a day or two to readjust to the classroom. Allow time for quiet
conversations with friends and be flexible about homework being completed that day. Kids do best when they
resume routines as quickly as possible, but this should be balanced with an understanding that they will be
distracted the first couple of days back to school. Focus on review of previously learned material the first two
days back, and then learn new material on day three.
Bring some snacks,and encourage students to talk to their teachers and each other using a calm, moderate tone
of voice. This makes the classroom a warm and inviting place to be. Teachers can model the appropriate volume
and amount of fear/anger that is reasonable to express in school.
Some teachers may be worried about allowing students to talk about the traumatic event, but it is actually helpful
to"acknowledge the elephant in the room." Your students have already been through the crisis and survived it.
Talking about it is not going to make it worse; it will allow them the opportunity to ask questions,share their
feelings and make sense of the event.
Keep in mind that it's normal and appropriate for kids to feel distress. Sadness, irritability, tearfulness, inability
to concentrate, poor memory of the incident,fear and anxiety are normal in the aftermath of a tragedy. Normalize
these emotions for students. Encourage them to ask questions and talk about their feelings with you,friends
and/or family members.
Give information that is accurate and age appropriate. For younger students,think about what kids might need
to know to feet safe and what might be too much information. For example, in the case of a school shooting,
they would benefit from knowing that a gunman was apprehended, but they would not benefit from a detailed
description of the event, or a lengthy discussion about gun control.
Use straightforward and clear language. Avoid euphemisms,which may cause confusion.
Remind students that the school is committed to keeping them safe. Give examples of some of the things that the
school does to keep them safe— fire drills, lockdown drills, school safety officers,etc.
Remove/repair physical reminders of the event, e.g., holes in the walls, and initially avoid lesson plans that
reference shootings and violence. Note, avoidance of planned curricula is not recommended in the medium or
long term, only in the first couple of weeks back to school.
Monitoring students'recovery from a traumatic event is one of teachers'most challenging tasks. As a general rule,
most kids will recover naturally from a traumatic event,and some will need more help,e.g.,those who were more
directly impacted or those who have had previous trauma exposure. There is no exact timeline for"normal"recovery
from trauma and grief,but after about one month has passed you may notice some kids are still struggling. Refer
these students to the school social worker/psychologist to contact their families and offer in-school or community
mental health services. Some common signs kids are still struggling with trauma:
Difficulty controlling emotions, e.g., angry Trouble with concentration, memory
outbursts or excessive anxiety and organization
Moodiness, sadness or frustration Physical symptoms like headaches and upset stomach
Social withdrawal, less contact with peers Risk-taking,unpredictable and/or impulsive behavior
Change in attendance and/or academic performance , Extreme reactions to reminders of the event
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Opportunities for Peer Support:
It's important that teachers and school staff have a forum to share their own thoughts and feelings about the
traumatic event that recently occurred. They should not share their reactions with their students;they should
share them with each other during lunch hours,free periods or after work.
School administrators should provide free lunch and a space for school staff to convene for these discussions
within the first few days back to school.
If teachers or staff continue to struggle several weeks after the event, they should be encouraged to seek
treatment for themselves. School social workers/psychologists should distribute a list of adult trauma treatment
providers to all staff, e.g., post in the teachers' lounge, so they do not have to ask colleagues for a referral. If
teachers have an Employee Assistance Program, this would also be a helpful resource.
About the Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with
mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care,advance the science
of the developing brain,and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need
it most.Together with our supporters,we're helping children reach their full potential in school and in life.We share all of our
resources freely and do not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org.
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Natural Disaster
CHILD MrNi�
Sample Scripts and Anticipated Student Questions INSTITUTE
Guidelines:
Students may be confused about exactly what happened during the natural disaster,and a brief description
can help them understand.
Comfort your students and let them know that having difficult feelings after a scary event
(i.e.scared,sad,confused)is normal.
Reassure younger students that whatever has happened due to the disaster is not their fault.
Focus the conversation on continued safety and resilience.
Reassure students that there is a plan to keep children safe -that teachers and all school personnel have a safety
plan if something were to happen again.
• Reassure students that teachers will continue to keep them posted on any changes in schedule or plans and that
school will continue with typical routines.
Kindergarten 3rd graders
Students this age are still relatively concrete in their thinking and will likely be concerned most with what happened,and if it will
happen again. For these kids a brief description of what happened,followed up with information about why they are now safe,
will be most helpful.
Here is a sample script where the natural disaster is a hurricane:
Last week we had something called a hurricane happen to our city. A hurricane is a big storm,with strong winds,and
heavy rain. Some places had lots of water and strong winds,and people had to move out for safety. People from the
Red Cross and FEMA came to help the people of our city stay safe and give them food and water and other things they
may need. These people and adults like myself and your parents are still helping each other by cleaning up,giving
people places to stay and helping people get things they need. Having different kinds of feelings, like fear,sadness and
confusion,is normal after something scary like a hurricane happens. You can talk to me,your parents and each other
about how you are feeling. It is important to remember that it is not your fault that this happened. It is also really
important that you know that you are safe because sometimes something like this makes us feel unsure. Even though
hurricanes do not happen a lot, if one were to happen again,we have a plan to help keep you safe. Now, I will always tell
you if anything changes with what is happening here at school. I am here to answer any questions you might have and
to listen to you talk about your feelings. We are here to help you and keep you safe. What questions do you have?
Some questions students this age might have:
is the storm going to come bock? Reassure students that big storms like hurricanes don't happen very often, and don't
happen in the same place very often. Help them to distinguish between normal rainfall and wind that happens all the
time and doesn't cause permanent damage, and big storms that do cause damage. Explain that when a big storm is
coming, we usually know about it for days beforehand and have time to prepare.
This toolkit is a resource of the Child Mind Institute. Visit childmind.org for additional information.
@ChildMindDotOr
facebook.com/ChildMindinstitute ,� g
4th 8th graders:
Students this age will start to think about why something happened. It is best to keep to specific information you have and share
it in a developmentally appropriate way. They may also have some questions about the aftermath. Again,for these kids, avoid
sensationalized descriptions of what happened.
Here is a sample script:
Last week we experienced and were affected by a hurricane. Some of us may have experienced not having power or
electricity,and others may have had to evacuate their homes. People at school,your parents and other people from
the Red Cross and FEMA did their best to keep everyone safe and help people who needed things like water,food
and a place to stay. We all continue to help one another with cleanup and providing each other with anything that
is needed. After experiencing something like this it is normal to have a mixture of feelings, like fear, worry, sadness
and confusion. It is important to know that feeling this way is normal and that you can talk to teachers,school
counselors,your parents and your friends about how you are feeling. Nothing about this stressful event is your
fault. It is also important to know that the school has a plan to keep all students safe. We encourage you to also
think about ways that you and your family can cope during this time. Even though hurricanes are rare, if this were to
happen again there is a safety plan in place at school,and we encourage you to talk to your family about the safety
plan at home. School and our classroom will continue with typical schedules and activities. When there is a change
in the schedule,we will let you know in advance. I am here to answer any questions you might have and to listen to
you talk about your feelings. We are here to help you and keep you safe. What questions do you have?
Some questions students this age might have:
What will happen to everyone who lost their houses? "People who lost their houses may have to live someplace else
for a while. There are organizations like the Red Cross and FEMA, and people who will help with housing and who
will help people to rebuild their homes. Sometimes this takes longer than people want it to, and it can be difficult."
Suggest that the school community can do something to help, such as a canned food or clothing drive for people
who've been displaced.
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9th 12th graders:
Students this age are most likely to engage in a dialogue about the event. They may have been exposed to more media and
adult conversations;therefore, they will benefit from hearing accurate information about the event and have reassurance from
supportive adults that they are safe. They may also be aware of political implications of an event like this —for example,that
people with fewer resources are more affected, or global warming.
Here is a sample script:
As you guys know, last week we experienced and were affected by a hurricane. People may have experienced losing
power or electricity, and others may have had to evacuate their homes due to flooding. A lot of people, including
those from the Red Cross and FEMA, did their best to keep everyone safe by evacuating, offering a place for them
to stay and providing people with water and food. Help continues to be given with cleanup and trying to get people
back to their homes as quickly as possible. After experiencing something like this it is normal to have a mixture of
feelings, including fear and sadness. We encourage you to talk to teachers, school counselors,your parents and your
friends about how you are feeling. It is also important to know that the school has a plan to keep all students safe
currently,and also if this were to happen again in the future. We encourage you to also think about ways that you
and your family can cope during this time. School routines will continue as planned,and when there is a change in
the schedule we will let you know in advance. I am here to answer any questions you might have and to listen to you
talk about your feelings. We are here to help you and keep you safe. What questions do you have?
Some questions students this age might have:
Aren't events like this caused by global warming? Scientists do think that climate change contributes to more events
Like this. There has been a lot of debate about this in Congress recently. What do you think about the debate? What
are some things that we could do to take care of the environment?
What's going to happen to people who were displaced by the storm? It seems like it's taking a really long time for them
to get help. It's true that it is taking a while. What do you think about that? What do you think needs to change? Is
there anything that we can do as a community to help out or to put pressure on the city or state to help out more?
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Tip Sheet for Parents.Talking to Kids about a Natural Disaster
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, it is important to help parents by providing them with guidance on how they can be most
helpful in the recovery process. The following tips are designed to help adults talk to kids about a natural disaster:
Speak in a calm and confident voice.
Acknowledge that these events are scary and sad.
Ask questions about what your child knows about the event and what he thinks and feels about it. This can help
you respond best to his specific worries and concerns.
Give information that is honest and age appropriate. What do they need to know in order to have the facts and
feel safe? What is too much information and might be overwhelming?
Don't use euphemisms. For example, saying"a dangerous hurricane"instead of a "little storm". An honest,
straightforward discussion will eliminate confusion and let your child know it's okay to talk about hard things.
Emphasize that natural disasters are rare, and that even though this incident happened,your child's school is still
a safe place.
For younger children, limit media exposure about the event. For older children, limiting media may be difficult, but
ask your child to tell you about what she reads and hears,and correct inaccurate information.
Communicate with your child's school and check their social media pages regularly. Find out about events for
community members to come together to grieve and provide support to those most affected.
It's normal for these situations to be anxiety provoking for parents. Acknowledge your own anxiety and seek
support from other adults so you can present in a calm, assured manner when speaking with your child.
About the Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with
mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care,advance the science
of the developing brain,and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need
it most.Together with our supporters,we're helping children reach their full potential in school and in life.We share all of our
resources freely and do not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org.
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