Thought Leadership
Navigating Traumatic Moments: Guidance and Resources from a School Psychologist
Last Updated on September 19, 2024 by BrainPOP
Teachers and parents often find themselves navigating situations and conversations they never dreamed of when they first set up their classrooms and nurseries. Reflecting on the traumatic moments and heartbreaking tragedies we are witnessing more and more, it’s important to be proactive about supporting each other and the children in our care.
For advice about navigating trauma, which can come in many forms, we turned to Dr. Rosemarie Foote, an early intervention school psychologist and a mental health advisor to BrainPOP. Dr. Foote has worked in schools supporting educators, parents, and students for over 23 years, but she says handling tragedy in recent years has become a bigger challenge, and she has seen a dramatic shift among children.
Dr. Foote has experienced an increase in referrals, for both academic and emotional needs, including a rise in anxiety and depression. She explains that a traumatic event today versus 10 years ago is often felt more intensely, especially in younger children, which she attributes to living through a pandemic. “Kids are already compromised emotionally because of the social skills that they’re lacking, the lack of exposure, so they’re behind emotionally by a year or so,” says Dr. Foote. “Then you put on top of that something traumatic.”
In response, she focuses on trauma-informed therapy and building resiliency in her students. Here are five suggestions from Dr. Foote to help teachers and parents support children through challenging times, along with a list of recommended resources from BrainPOP and beyond.
1. Dispel rumors and focus on the facts
The first and most important thing to remember after a tragedy occurs is to be honest with children, whether you’re a counselor, psychologist, teacher, or parent. Make yourself available, and answer their questions with the appropriate amount of detail depending on their age.
2. Keep the lines of communication open
Whether a child is quiet or talkative, it’s important to check in to make sure that they’re expressing everything that they need to express. Ask open-ended questions, and leave the door open for them to come to you when something is bothering them. (Remember that conflict with a friend or disappointments at school are also mini-traumas that children may need help navigating.)
3. Prioritize self-care, and reach out to other adults
We all know that airplane analogy: Grown-ups should put on their oxygen mask first in the event of an emergency, and then turn to help kids. Adults often tend to push themselves to the limit, and put their needs aside to focus on their children. To truly be resilient and present for our children, it’s important to engage in consistent self-care, including routine exercise like brisk walks or yoga, as well as deep breathing, journaling, and other mindfulness techniques. Reach out to other adults in your circle to see how you can support one another.
4. Create structure with teachable moments
Building a predictable structure and routine is more important than ever at school and at home. Being explicit with your instruction and expectations helps children feel safe. Balance that with making the most of teachable moments about social problem solving, like how to speak up for yourself or others, which is a necessary skill to prevent and navigate daily trauma.
5. Equip children with resiliency tools
Explicitly teaching children how to cope with unexpected and overwhelming events in the world around them, and the feelings they experience as a result, is crucially important. Dr. Foote recommends the following BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. movies, along with standards-aligned learning activities, to teach more serious topics in developmentally appropriate ways. We’ve also added a few recommendations of our own:
BrainPOP Jr.
The resources below offer grown-ups additional tips to help kids through traumatic moments:
Julia Bailey is a senior copywriter on the BrainPOP Marketing Team and a former classroom educator.
