Tsunami Disaster - Psychosocial Care for Children [PDF] - Nimhans

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DECREASE THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS THROUGH SUPPORTIn helping the child to share his/her experiences and feelings about the whole event, allowhim/her the space and security to feel accepted and be cared for. Once the child feels secure andthere is a comfort situation around, he/she will be able to share thoughts and feelings. It is veryimportant that we listen and try to understand the child’s perspective.Be there when the child wants to talk; do not push the child. The child may not talk at allbut may find it comforting to know that there is somebody who cares.You need to:ü Convince the child it is normal to think about the traumatic event.ü Share some of your feelings and thoughts about the event.ü Use child-friendly language and explanations.ü Tell him/her to come and talk about it anytime.ü Listen and provide answers to questions (even if they are very painful) while beingreassuring all the while.ü In case there are no adequate explanations, tell the child that you too are confused andupset by it.ü A child sometimes takes on responsibility or feelings of guilt for the event, leading tovery destructive and inappropriate behavior. This should be checked and correctedimmediately.ü Be honest, open and clear.ü Do not avoid the topic when the child brings it up.Understand what the child feels about death, and his /her fears about it etc. This willhelp you to communicate with him/her in a meaningful fashion.Talking helpsTalking about the event helps the child accept it and cope with the losses that follow. Talking,especially with older children, will be more useful since it could help to clarify thoughts and removemisconceptions that may be confined within themselves.It is important to give factual information to the child. If not, he/she will ‘fill in’ the details,which very often could be inaccurate. Just being available and reassuring the child, helps restore agreat sense of safety and security.20 INFORMATION MANUAL 3: TSUNAMI PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE FOR CHILDREN
Reassure the childChildren need a lot of comfort and a feeling of security. Hold the child close if the child iscrying. If the child wakes up at night, be there to comfort him/her. In school the child may be feelingleft out, support him/her during that time. All these will help the child feel cared for. If the childcomes and sits close or clings to you, do not forcibly move him/her away. Allow the child to be nearyou if that brings him/her comfort. Pat the child once in a while and hold him/her close to show youraffection.Model healthy coping behaviorChildren will look up to adults to learn how to cope with these incidents/events. So oneneeds to model a healthy coping behavior in how one is leading one’s life and trying to return tonormalcy.Make sure that as an adult you:§ Follow regular sleep times§ Eat well§ Remain calm and happy§ Take interest in activities at home or outside§ Do not consume any alcohol or other addictive substances§ Exercise regularly§ Spend time in recreational activitiesAn adult’s lifestyle enables the child also to pick up healthy coping strategies. The child willrealize that the adult has normalized his/her life and will be motivated to do the same.FACILITATE RECOVERYSet up life routinesAs an adult one needs to help the child normalize his/her life. Children find it very comfortingto have routines in their lives. If these routines are disturbed, they too get disturbed. The first stepthat one can take to help the child to recover from the trauma is to re-establish life routines. Thiswould mean ensuring that children:§ Have their meals on time§ Go to bed at a particular time at night§ Re-start their schooling if they are of a school going age§ Get involved in helping with household work or sewing activities§ Spend time together as a family§ Spend time playing and having some fun daily§ Have some time to share whatever they might be thinking or feelingTOT INFORMATION MANUAL - 1 21
Page 2 and 3: Childhood is a period of growth and
Page 4 and 5: IMPACT OF THE DISASTERON CHILDRENCh
Page 7 and 8: ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨Death of loved ones
Page 9 and 10: Infants„ No comprehension but sen
Page 11 and 12: After a horrifying disaster like th
Page 13 and 14: * 8-year-old Murthy’s family was
Page 15 and 16: He has collected some fifty biscuit
Page 17 and 18: Remember that these behaviors are a
Page 19: UNDERSTAND EMOTIONAL REACTIONSIt is
Page 23 and 24: they get a sense of self worth as t
Page 25 and 26: Preschoolers· Follow regular routi
Page 27 and 28: lllllllllMake sure that the childre
Page 29 and 30: CLW: How do you feel about the inci
Page 31 and 32: The mother remains upset with the f
Page 33 and 34: SPECIAL CHILDRENIt is now a well-re
Page 35 and 36: had lost her mother in the tsunami,
Page 37 and 38: her locality. She was unable to tel
Page 39 and 40: Role of Different CaregiversSCHOOL
Page 41 and 42: ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE USED TO HELP
Page 43 and 44: ¨ Children develop understandingCh
Page 45 and 46: Step oneForm a trusting relationshi
Page 47 and 48: Drawing 2 1 1 1Puppets 1 1 2 2Clay
Page 49 and 50: ARTWORKAt the start, let the child
Page 51 and 52: Helping children to cope with loss
Page 53 and 54: Name of the activityPurposeAgegroup
Page 55 and 56: Name of the activityPurposeAgegroup
Page 57 and 58: · The child has to respond to the
Page 59 and 60: Process· They first need to draw o
Page 61 and 62: · Have a discussion on how he/she
Page 63 and 64: Just like the candle if people go a
Page 65 and 66: BEST MEMORY PICTUREMaterialDrawing
Page 67 and 68: · Each child gets a chance to thin
Page 69 and 70: studies or being good friends or ha
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¨ Provides a platform for the chil
Page 73 and 74:
Outcome¨ Provides an understanding
Page 75 and 76:
Process· Pick up one issue say ‘
Page 77 and 78:
PAPER CUTTINGAsk children to cut bi
Page 79 and 80:
feel when they are idle, the kind o
Page 81 and 82:
SAY NICE THINGSAsk the children to
Page 83 and 84:
TOT INFORMATION MANUAL - 1 83
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Page 101 and 102:
REFERENCES§ American Red Cross (20
Page 103 and 104:
WHAT WE KNOW...§ Intense emotional
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