Helping Children Deal with the California (and Other) Wildfires
By: Beverly Gould
In the wake of the wildfires that destroyed a great portion of the city of Los Angeles, children lost their routine, their structure, and their sense of safety. Dhiara Angelicola, an Early Childhood educator, organized Kids Town Halls to create an environment to help children cope with the loss and the grief. In the town hall, the children did art, somatic therapy exercises focusing on how trauma can affect the body, and shared a range of feelings. Over 100 children and parents attended, allowing them to stay connected and to have honest conversations about what they are facing. This was seen as an exercise in learning how to be uncomfortable experiencing certain feelings, modeling that feelings aren’t to be feared and that feelings can’t hurt us.
LA wildfires: Parents help kids navigate grief as they return home | AP News
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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN, wildfire resources) offers tips and resources to help console the children impacted by a fire. These tips include how to deal with the media, activities for children to help them heal, age-related reactions to traumatic events, specific tips for helping children of all ages from infancy through adolescence deal with grief, how to talk with children about the wildfires and how to create supportive environments. Most tips and resources, including Psychological First Aid, are available in both English and Spanish.