- Posted December 19, 2013 by
Washington DC, District of Columbia
This iReport is part of an assignment:
Recovery of Sandy Hook & Colorado Shootings
Emphasizing the shooter and his terrible act could inspire copy cats.
If children seem upset by reminders of the events that took place that day, it is important for the adults around them to
1. listen to what they have to say
2. Validate their feelings. I hear you saying that you feel (sad, upset, angry, scared) about what happened.
3. I understand you feelings.
4. It is OK to be (sad, angry, and scared).
5. This event is in the past and now people are recovering from what happened.
6. They recover by sharing their feelings about what happened and making plans to protect themselves if anything like this should happen in the future.
7. Spend time with your children talking about the events that are going on right now (not sandy hook).
8. Acknowledge feelings, but steer children from dwelling on the negative feelings too much and move them to empowerment and solutions.
We can all help our children recover from the horrible events of Sandy Hook and prepare them for recovery and the future. SAMHSA says recovery involves:
Involvement in the community
Dr. Kathy Seifert