The two Facts For Families can be downloaded at:

http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/grief.htm Facts for Families # 8 - Children and Grief

http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/disaster.htm Facts For Families #36 - Helping Children After A Disaster.

The "Facts for Families" are designed to be reproduced and distributed. Please feel free to make these available to your patients and their families, schools, and any other organizations which may benefit from the information. If you need additional information about these you can contact Rod Clark at AACAP. His email address is: rclark@aacap.org or by calling 202-966-7300 ext.120

Thanks to the American Psychological Association for:

* Posting Materials on the APA Web Site: The front page of the APA web site (www.apa.org) features a public information piece on coping with traumatic stress that outlines the types of emotions people might be dealing with and includes advice on how parents can talk to their children about this tragedy.

* Providing Public Education Materials: The Practice Directorate has created public education materials designed to help members create in-school forums during which children can talk about their feelings regarding what they have seen and heard. This material can be accessed on the APA web site.

Thanks to David Deal for:

In response to the disasters in New York and Washington DC, we want to remind/provide you some guidelines to support students, families, and staff. They are drawn from a variety of sources, and we have included references to internet addresses for centers specializing in disaster response.

Given that the emergency is one that is affecting everyone across the country, it is important for us all to be ready to provide some form of information and assistance.

Below are a few quick points and some resources for you to draw upon. Immediate responses to disasters include shock and denial. These are normal, protective reactions. Shock leaves one feeling stunned or dazed. One may temporarily feel numb. As shock subsides, reactions vary.

Common Responses include persistent fears (about being separated from family), sleep disturbances, loss of concentration and irritability, physical complaints, withdrawal and listlessness. These symptoms occur as part of the normal, immediate human response to ovewhelming events.

Adults can begin to restore emotional well being by acknowledging feelings, asking for support, reestablishing routines, reaching out to others. They can care for the needs of children and youngsters by listening to their feelings and fears, providing information to clarify what occurred and whether it can affect their lives, and by reestablishing routines that will comfort and reassure.

For more details on responding, see the Quick Find on our website http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu – Go to the Center Response section and scroll to "Crisis Prevention and Response." One of the things you will find cited is our resource aid "Responding to a Crisis at a School" which contains specific guidelines for responding and follow-up in the weeks to come. You can download this with a click and print off the relevant materials. A few additional resources include the following:

Coping with Emotions after a Disaster http://www.psychworks.com/PTSD%20response.htm

Managing Traumatic Stress, American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org

After a Disaster: Steps You Can Take to Cope with a Stressful Situation http://www.wright.edu/sopp/cps/TraumaticStress.html

The Child Survivor of Traumatic Stress http://users.umassmed.edu/Kenneth.Fletcher/kidsurv.html

Helping Children After a Disaster: Facts for Families from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry http://www.aacap.org/

National Center for PTSD has a large literature base http://www.ncptsd.org/

Thanks to Bert Epstein for:

Another good resource to review: Gist, R. & Lubin, B. Response to Disaster: Psychosocial, Community & Ecological Approaches (1999).