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In the wake of the recent school violence at Virginia Tech, children may be experiencing increased feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger, or confusion. The exhaustive media coverage of this tragedy can result in trauma-related effects for some children. It is important that children are given the time and place to talk about their feelings and ask questions.
Dr. Marylene Cloitre, the director of the Institute for Trauma and Resilience at the NYU Child Study Center, and her staff have put together tips for parents and school professionals for talking to kids about tough topics such as these school shootings and for understanding how children and adolescents cope with traumatic events.
- Helping Your College-Bound Children and College Students Cope After the Virginia Tech Shootings: A Guide for Parents (PDF)
- Addressing Tough Topics and Questions: Talking to Your Children About Traumatic Events (PDF)
- Guidelines for Helping Children Affected by Disasters and Trauma
- Guidelines for Schools (PDF)
- Guidelines for Parents (PDF)
- Children's Resilience in the Face of Trauma (PDF)
- When Hurt Leads to Hate: Preventing Your Child's Feelings of Anger from Leading to Actions of Bias and Hate
- Media Exposure and Traumatic Events: How Much Media Coverage is Too Much? (PDF)
- Recognizing When Children Need Help(PDF)
- Caring For Kids After Trauma, Disaster, and Death: A Guide For Parents and Professionals (the complete PDF guide)
