The Aftermath of Katrina: Helping the
Children
We at The
ChildTrauma Academy want to express heartfelt condolences to
all of the victims and evacuees of Katrina. And we want to
say thank you to all of those first responders, volunteers
and caregivers in so many communities and from so many walks
of life who, through their hard work, courage, determination
and compassion have stepped up to help the children and
families impacted by this disaster.
Those of us
familiar with the nature of traumatic experiences know,
however, that this is just the start. For all of the
victims and evacuees there will be a long, long process of
grieving, coping, struggling and overcoming the many
challenges ahead. We can help with that process. Parents,
caregivers, teachers and mental health professionals need
help in the process of helping children. We have found that
a good start in that process is information. Knowledge is
power. The more we can help those working and living with
these children understand the impact of trauma on children
and how to provide healing and reparative experiences the
easier the recovery process.
Over the
next days and weeks, ChildTrauma
Academy
personnel will be modifying some of our existing materials
and creating new materials to help anyone working with the
children of Katrina. We know that this is only a start. In
each community, providers are working hard to meet the needs
of the evacuees. We will be working hard to help.
The
ChildTrauma
Academy staff and Fellows
This portion of The ChildTrauma
Academy website and the special resources created for the
children of Katrina are generously supported by
the Greater
Houston
Community Foundation’s Richard Weekley Family Fund.
Focused Support Materials
The
ChildTrauma Academy has a set of support materials that may
be useful to the various groups of adults trying to help the
children of Katrina. The following are some
recommendations. Please note that these materials will be
updated and supplemented in the coming days and weeks.
For
parents or caregivers
of children impacted by Katrina, we recommend the
following four articles:
The Impact
of Katrina on Children: Special Comments for Parents and
Caregivers -- In preparation
The Impact of Katrina
on Children: Special Comments for Children and Youth -- In
preparation
The Child's Loss: Death Grief and Mourning
Helping Traumatized Children: A Brief Overview for
Caregivers
For
teachers
of children impacted by Katrina, we recommend the following
four articles:
The Impact of Katrina on Children: Special Comments for
Educators
Educator's Handout:
Understanding
the Impact of Katrina on Children and Adolescents
The Effects of Traumatic Events on Children
Children
and loss: What teachers can do to help grieving children
For first responders
working with children impacted by Katrina, we recommend
the following two articles:
The Impact of Katrina on Children: Special Comments for
First Responders
The Cost of Caring: Secondary Trauma
For
mental health professionals
working with children impacted by Katrina, we
recommend the following four articles:
The Impact of
Katrina on Children: Special Comments for Mental Health
Providers -- In preparation
Post-traumatic Stress Disorders in Children
The
Memory of States
How
States become Traits
For
community leaders or policy makers, we
recommend the following article:
The Real Crisis
|
*
Materials represented on this site are intended for
educational purposes. Authors have provided these
materials to help promote the health and welfare of
children. If you are interested in reproducing more
than three copies of any single article or intend to
reproduce an article in a newsletter or like format,
please complete our
request form and email it to
ChildTrauma1@aol.com
for our review. Requests
are considered individually and only granted for
nonprofit educational use, as long as copyright and
attribution information is retained. Permission is
granted to those persons interested in reproducing
fewer than three copies per article, provided that
reproduction is for nonprofit educational use and
that copyright and attribution information is
retained. |
