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Helping Students Through Difficult Times: Talking About War
What do you tell children, young and old, during unsettling times, and how do you offer support? Talking to children and adolescents about war can be a difficult and daunting task. To help educators meet this challenge, ASCD offers the following list of resources. While the list is by no means all-inclusive, we hope it serves as a springboard for discussing feelings during difficult times.
Mental Health Organizations
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Talking to Children About Terrorism and War
"In today’s world, parents are faced with the challenge of explaining terrorism and war to children. Although difficult, these conversations are extremely important. They give parents an opportunity to help children feel more secure and understand the world in which they live." http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsFam/87.htm
American Psychiatric Association: Talking to Children About War and Terrorism - Tips for Parents and Teachers
"Once again, parents and teachers are faced with the challenge of discussing the threat of terrorism and the reality of war with their children. Although these are understandably difficult conversations, they are also extremely important. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to have these discussions." http://www.psych.org/news_stand/talkingtochildrenrewarterror.pdf
American Psychological Association: Resilience in a Time of War
A time of war can be scary for children and adolescents, especially since terrorism has brought fear so close to home. Events are uncertain and their friends' parents, or perhaps their own parents, may be called away to serve in the military. They look to teachers and parents to make them feel safe. http://helping.apa.org/resilience/war.html
National Association of School Psychologists: Coping in Unsettling Times
"Adults have a responsibility to help children and adolescents feel safe. Talking about the war honestly and factually can help children and adolescents understand how war affects their lives and allow adults to gauge how children and adolescents are coping."
http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/unsettlingtimes.html
National Institute of Mental Health: Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters
"Helping young people avoid or overcome emotional problems in the wake of violence or disaster is one of the most important challenges a parent or teacher can face." The National Institute of Mental Health and other federal agencies are working to address these issues. This fact sheet provides information about the impact of violence and disasters on children and adolescents and offers tips to minimize long-term emotional harm.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm
National Mental Health Association: Helping Our Children Deal with War
"In this time of heightened anxiety over the war with Iraq, our children are experiencing fear and anxiety, too. They’re seeing news reports and hearing people around them talk about the war and terrorist threats here at home. But unlike adults, children have little experience to help them put all this information into perspective." The National Mental Health Association offers tips for parents and teachers to support children during these difficult times.
http://www.nmha.org/reassurance/childrenDealwithWar.cfm
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Helping Children Cope with Fear and Anxiety
"Whether tragic events touch your family personally or are brought into your home via newspapers and television, you can help children cope with the anxiety that violence, death, and disasters can cause. The Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign offers these pointers for parents and other caregivers."
http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/CA-BKMARKR02/default.asp
Other Resources
Connect for Kids: Help with the Healing
"Even with the healing passage of time, children can have trouble handling the emotions of fear, anger and grief, and the continuing national war on terrorism raises the emotional stakes. Connect for Kids has compiled resources to help."
http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=120823
Crisis Management Institute: Guidelines for Talking with Middle/High School Students About the Possibility of War
"This is a difficult time for all of us. The world has become so complex that we can't make sense of it all. So how can we begin to work with children young and older on issues that are overwhelming us?"
http://www.cmionline.org/pdf/GuidelinesWarHS.pdf
Educators for Social Responsibility: Understanding World Events
Educators for Social Responsibility offers assistance during this time of crisis by providing guides and curricular suggestions to help teachers address national and global issues constructively.
http://www.esrnational.org/sp/we/world.htm
Purdue University: Terrorism and Children
A Purdue University specialist in child development and family studies has researched children's reactions to wars and disasters and offers advice for helping children cope with the terrorist attacks, and their aftermath.
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/terrorism//index.html
U.S. Department of Education: Web Resources To Help Schools Plan for Emergencies
The U.S. Department of Education Web site has a new section, designed to help school officials plan for any emergency, including terrorist acts.
UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools: Responding to a Crisis
Use the Responding to a Crisis link at the top of the Center for Mental Health in Schools home page to access an array of online resources, including those produced by the Center. Also included are links to other online resources and centers specializing in crisis management.
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