Counselor Corner 10/5

When tragedies such as Las Vegas and the destruction caused by recent hurricanes take place, it can be hard to find the words for yourself, let alone deciding what to say to your children.  As many of you know the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas closely touched one of our own BPE staff.  This week’s Counselor Corner will provide some tips and strategies on how approach and explain these events to your children. As much as we hope to shield our children from these tragedies, many parents are faced with difficult conversations.  

1. Limit your child’s access to the news:  Although we can’t control what kids may hear on the bus or in the lunchroom, parents can limit access to disturbing news footage.
   
2. Keep your message simple and developmentally appropriate:  Depending on your child’s age, kids require different levels of information.
   
3. Be open to questions, but also know that it’s okay to not have all the answers.
   
4. Reassure: Remind kids that they are safe, there are people who are there to protect them, and there are good people doing good things. Make sure they understand this isn’t their weight to carry.
   
5. Encourage children to talk about their concerns and to express their feelings. Some children may be hesitant to initiate such conversation, so you may want to prompt them by asking them how they are feeling.  However, it is best to avoid talking about this at bedtime.  
   
6. Focus on efforts to help.  This helps kids feel empowered and gives them an opportunity to feel in control.
   
7. Be cautious in linking violence to mental illness. This could create a stigma that people with a mental health problem are bad or should be feared and can equate mental illness to violence. Extend this caution when making assumptions or generalizations about motives as well.
   

The following links are great resources for more detailed information on how to handle these tough conversations:
Psychology Today: How to Talk to Kids About the Las Vegas Shooting
How to Talk to Kids about the Las Vegas Mass Shooting

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