Resources in Response to Tornadoes Impacting Communities Across the US
In response to the recent tornadoes that are impacting numerous communities across the US, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help children, families, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together.
These resources include:
Parent Guidelines for Helping Children after a
Tips for Parents on Media Coverage of the
Questions to Ask Your Children About the
Teacher Guidelines for Helping Students after a
Trinka and Sam and the Swirling Twirling Wind
—e-book for young children (
)
Response for Kids: Right After a
Response for Teens: Right After a
Helping Youth after a Community Trauma: Tips for Educators
(
)
Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
(
;
)
Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents
(
)
Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen
(
En Espanol
)
Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
(
En Español
)
Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
(
En Español
)
Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
(
En Español
)
The Power of Parenting: How to Help Your Child After a Parent or Caregiver Dies
(
En Español
)
–
children’s book for young children
—website
for families with injured children
—website
for pediatric health providers working with injured children
Pause-Reset-Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing
(
En Español
)
(for responders)
Psychological First Aid
The NCTSN also has resources for responders on Psychological First Aid (PFA; En Español). PFA is an early intervention to support children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by these types of events. The PFA Wallet Card (En Español) provides a quick reminder of the core actions. The PFA online training (En Español) course is also available on the NCTSN Learning Center. PFA Handouts include:
Parent Tips for Helping Infants and Toddlers (
En Español
)
Parent Tips for Helping Preschoolers (
En Español
)
Parent Tips for Helping School-Age Children (
En Español
)
Parent Tips for Helping Adolescents (
En Español
)
En Español
)
Mobile Apps
Available from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University:
Sustaining the Psychological Well-Being of Caregivers While Caring for Disaster Victims
Safety, Recovery and Hope after Disaster: Helping Communities and Families Recovery
Leadership Communication: Anticipating and Responding to Stressful Events
Disaster Helpline
SAMHSA has a Disaster Distress Helpline—call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.
Additional Resources
For those that are needing technical assistance or additional resources, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Melissa Brymer at mbrymer@mednet.ucla.edu.