Other Ways to Help Children Express Their Feelings Following a Disaster

While many children begin to heal by talking about their experiences and feelings following a disaster, talking for some children is not helpful. In some cultures, for example, talking openly is not comfortable, appropriate, or even "polite." Some children have been raised in families or situations where talking about one's feelings was not possible, supported, or practiced. Other children simply prefer not to discuss their feelings openly, due to the nature of their personality, worries about privacy, or a lack of trust in the process.

To help children through the recovery process, begin by informing and educating them about the disaster to make it less threatening. Point out that there are many ways other than talking to express feelings. The suggestions listed below should be presented to the child as options, not as required activities:

* Use puppets to help children "tell" or "live" a story.

* Read stories from children's books related to rescue and recovery efforts.

* Introduce drawing as a way of "talking silently." Encourage children to draw people, places, and activities they associate with the disaster.

* Write a book together and draw pictures to illustrate it.

* Create a skit or play, or do role-playing, related to the disaster. Provide clothes for children to "dress up" in to play the role of emergency workers seen during the disaster.

* Create a collage. Have children cut and paste photos, magazine pictures, articles, and fabric pieces around a central theme. Tell children they may draw what they cannot find in magazines. Collages are a safe form of art because a child gets to use others' symbols.

* Draw a mural or make a quilt that tells a "collective story." Murals and quilts promote teamwork. They also feel safer for some children than individual art. When creating a mural or quilt:

* Role of religion and/or spirituality in everyday life.
* Body language, personal interaction, and boundaries regarding personal space.
* As the teacher, you should do very little drawing.
* Allow children to tell you what to draw.
* Give it a place of honor in the classroom.
* Hang it in a place where children can see and add to it every day.
* Make it an ongoing project.
* Take photos when it is finished.

Allow a full range of expression during these activities. Provide reassurance that there is no "right way" to do them. Exercise as little control as possible. Emphasize to the children that their creations will not be judged or graded. Don't exhibit writing and artwork if a child does not want to share it with others. When these activities are over, allow children to talk about them if they want to. Discussion can help to bring closure to the experiences and feelings related to the disaster, which is an important step in the process of healing. Other children will find closure by listening to their peers.

Every classroom should also have a suggestion box - a place where children can drop notes, questions, and concerns for the teacher to address. Make the box available at all times. As a teacher, you should address each concern in some way. Your classroom should also have a file or bulletin board of information to educate the children further about disasters. This file or bulletin board should be in a place where children always have access to it. Encourage children to add to the information. By using some of these techniques and adding some of your own, you can play an important role in helping children to recover from the trauma related to a disaster. If these classroom activities reveal clues to more serious problems, issues, or feelings within a child, ask a school counselor or mental health specialist for help.

Additional resources can be found here: www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/EmergencyServices/links.asp