People often look to their communities—and especially the leaders of those communities—to provide emotional support and reassurance in the aftermath of tragedies and traumatic events. Schools may find themselves serving as a hub for the community’s recovery efforts and as a center for pastoral care.
Whatever your school can do in terms of acknowledging the difficulty of the moment, expressing empathy and grief for the victims, reassuring children that they are safe, and helping everyone eventually to get back to normal routines is a critical role you have to play.
To help you assist students and other members of your community who need support, NAIS has compiled several resources below.
Helping Your Community
- Often, schools reach out to experts to help them help community members. The National Center for School Crisis & Bereavement, based out of the University of Southern California, provides psychological support resources and planning to schools dealing with crises, free of charge. Schools can call or email them any time and they will help you identify what your community needs during and after a crisis.
- Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) Field Operations Guide, a resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, helps school personnel meet the needs of students in the aftermath of a traumatic event.
Helping Children Cope with Tragedy
- Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Talking to Children About Tragedies (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event (Child Mind Institute)
- Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Psychological Association)
- Promoting Compassion and Acceptance in Crisis (National Association of School Psychologists)
Responding to Tragedies of Violence
- Helping Kids After a Shooting (American School Counselor Association)
- Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (National Association of School Psychologists)
- Helping Children Cope with Terrorism–Tips for Families and Educators (National Association of School Psychologists)
- How to Talk to Your Child About Gun Violence and School Shootings (Verywell Family)
- Learning From Parkland: How to Respond to, Prepare for, and Prevent Active Shootings (NAIS video)
Media Consumption
- Children and the News (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
- Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
- Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute)
- How to Talk to Children about Difficult News (American Psychological Association)
- Helping Young Children with Tragic Events in the News (PBS Kids for Parents)