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Talking With Children About VA Tech Shoootings - 2007/04/19 05:10
To guide discussions about the Virginia Tech shooting, Mental Health America offers the following suggestions for teachers and parents as they communicate with young people across the nation:
• Talk honestly about the incident, without graphic detail, and share some of your own feelings about it. It is important that students feel informed.
• Encourage students to talk about their concerns and to express their feelings, and validate the young person's feelings and concerns.
• Limit television viewing. It can be difficult for to process the images and messages in news reports.
• Empower young people to take action about their own school safety. Encourage them to share their concerns about school safety with university officials.
• Recognize what may be behind a young person's behavior. They may minimize their concerns outwardly, but may become argumentative, withdrawn or allow their school performance to decline.
• Keep the dialogue going even after media coverage subsides. Continue to talk about feelings and discuss actions being taken to make schools and communities safer.
• Seek help when necessary. If you are worried about a young person's reaction or have ongoing concerns about his/her behavior or emotions, contact a mental health professional at their school or at your community mental health center. Your local Mental Health America Affiliate can direct you to resources in your community.
Post edited by: staff, at: 2007/04/28 03:59
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