Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events

Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events was developed in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. This booklet provides practical guidance for caregivers—including parents, family members, teachers, clergy, and volunteers—on how to help support children after a traumatic event.

This booklet provides readers with an overview of common reactions to violent acts, including a breakdown of common signs and symptoms by age. Concrete steps for caring for children’s emotional and spiritual needs in the wake of a traumatic event are also provided. The book is also available in Spanish.

We hope this resource, based on years of experience, is useful to you at this time. Feel free to share with family and friends.

Click HERE to access the publication.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA

Although adults cannot always prevent children from experiencing trauma, they can play an important role in helping children recover from past stressful or traumatic experiences. Just like children can experience stress or trauma in lots of different areas of their life, they also benefit from protective factors in all aspects of their world. When children have adequate resources (like food, shelter, and clothing), stable routines, and healthy and sensitive caregivers at home, at school, and in the community, they have the best chance of recovering from a stressful event.

Click on this link find a tip sheet developed by the Center for Early Education and Development at the University of Minnesota:  https://ceed.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FINAL-Tip-Sheet_Trauma-Practice-3.30.2023.pdf

Birth Injury Center

This easy to navigate and comprehensive website is dedicated to promoting awareness of common birth injuries and their causes. Their mission is to help users find helpful information on devastating birth injuries and their symptoms, causes, and treatment options.
http://birthinjurycenter.com/

Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood, with a child being born with CP every hour. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html

Cherish All Children Minnesota
Cherish All Children is a ministry of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, that partners with churches and communities to prevent child sexual exploitation and trafficking. The heart of the ministry lies in churches, where staff, leaders, and members work together to act on behalf of children and youth.  Cherish All Children offers presentations, resources and tools for adults and youth to promote healthy and safe relationships, guided by Christian values. Faith communities are powerful agents for social change, and invite you to join us in raising healthy generations. While the organization is based in Minnesota, many resources are available nationwide.
https://www.lssmn.org/services/youth/education/cherish-all-children

Sexual Violence

An American is sexually assaulted every two minutes, totaling an average of nearly 238,000 individuals over 12 years of age each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. And the Crimes Against Children Research Center estimates that one in five girls and one in twenty boys will be a victim of sexual abuse in their lifetimes. These assaults leave behind a lifetime of psychological damage. The links below offer excellent resources for those seeking support in breaking the pattern of violence. 

Hat Not Hate!

Hat Not Hate is an annual recognition for reducing bullying by wearing blue hats, and thus the Hat not Hate title! Knitting or crocheting blue hats for your community is a project that you could add to your health ministry or contribute to individually! Check out the ELPNA Edge Hat Not Hate by clicking on the link. Generally we will try to feature one of these initiatives on the website, but then accumulate them on our Members Only page for future reference.