ABC’s of Play Therapy

The following are resources for professionals, parents, and children that contain helpful information about disasters and other traumatic events.

Caring for Kids After Trauma, Disaster, and Death: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
http://www.aboutourkids.org/aboutour/articles/crisis_guide02.pdf
Caring for Kids After Trauma, Disaster, and Death: A Guide for Parents and Professionals was developed by the faculty and staff of the New York University Child Study Center , Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., and Marylene Cloitre, Ph.D. The guide was recently revised under the direction of Joel McClough, Ph.D. The guide is divided into six sections to enable users to access information most relevant to their needs: Reactions to Disasters and Trauma, Guidelines for Helping Children Affected by Disasters and Trauma, Resilience in Children Affected by Trauma and Disasters, Bereavement Reactions and Guidelines to Helping Children Cope, When and How to Get Help, and Practical Guides for Parents and Professionals. The guide has been prepared for use with children and adolescents of all ages following a traumatic experience.

PHOTO: Hurricane

After the Storm: A Guide to Help Children Cope with the Psychological Effects of a Hurricane
http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/alagreca/after_the_storm.pdf
This free online book is designed for caregivers and teachers to help children understand and cope with the psychological and emotional impact of a storm. This book contains activities that parents, teachers, or other adults can do with children. Activities are appropriate for children ages 6-12 years, but may be adapted for younger or older children. There are 15 topics covered in this book. For each topic there is an “Adult Page” and a “Child Page”, as well as “Joint Activities” to be completed. The book was created by Dr. Annette M. La Greca, Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics at the University of Miami in Florida .

Little Listeners in an Uncertain World
Get the PDF
This is a very good handout for caregivers, day care providers and educators. The handout provides coping strategies for adults and young children after traumatic events. It is geared toward helping babies and toddlers during stressful times.

Disaster Stuff for Kids

This link is part of the Virginia Disaster Stress Intervention webpage, and includes activities specifically for children when faced with a disaster.
http://psychweb.cisat.jmu.edu/vadisaster/kidspage/4kids.htm

Kids Preparedness Guide
Get the Guide > Available in PDF Format

Helping Children After a Natural Disaster:
Information for Parents and Teachers
National Association for School Psychology (NASP) publication.
The NASP site has many good resources for school-based programs and information for professionals and parents.

Pup’s World
Welcome to Pup’s World was created by the Operations Support Section of the North Carolina Department of Social Services to assist with emergency preparedness. It is an educational activity book to help children cope with disasters. (Pups World is also available in Spanish.) An interactive coloring book to use with younger children. It includes good tips for parents and professionals. You can download at:
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/mhddsas/disasterpreparedness/pupsworld-total.pdf
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/mhddsas/disasterpreparedness/pupsworld-total-spanish.pdf

Windy Day
A great coloring book to use with elementary age children. (PDF)

Psychological First Aid, 2nd Edition
A comprehensive guide (PDF) to acute disaster intervention from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (see the webplay section for a description and link to this well developed site).