“With all the violence and natural disasters and other trauma in the media today, my children are constantly afraid. How can I talk to them about these things and help to ease some of their anxieties?”

Our media sources can be an important resource for learning about the events happening around us. For many adults this information is invaluable, and can help them take reasonable steps to be better prepared for life. While often important for adults, these types of information can lead to significant fears and anxieties in our children.

Prior to adolescence children think in more concrete terms and are less likely to differentiate fact from fiction. With the onset of adolescence comes abstract thought and the ability to process and understand information more logically. That being said however, adolescent mentality is very egocentric which can make it extremely challenging to remove oneself from a situation. It’s for these very reasons we have age ratings for television programs and video games. With all the coverage in the news about mass shootings, other types of violence, car crashes, home fires, and natural disasters, it’s no wonder why children develop significant levels of anxiety.

Help Your Child Cope with Trauma in the Media

• Know your child
• Don’t avoid talking about the difficult topics your child brings to you
• Provide an opportunity for your child to talk to you
• Communicate acceptance of your child’s feelings
• Find out what your child already knows about the topic they want to address
• Respond to your child’s questions with short, simple answers
• Let your child fill in the blanks
• You don’t have to have all the answers
• Focus on resilience
• Help your child take constructive action & develop a plan with them
• Limit your child’s access to reminders of the event such as repetitive news broadcasts
• Reassure your child that you are there to take care of them

Nick Hersey, LAMFT, LAPC

nhersey@ GROWcounseling.com