When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world. — Fred Rogers

The following materials may be of some assistance to you to help you and your children cope with the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut. Please feel free to share this link with others who may need help dealing with these events.

• How to Talk to Your Children About the Connecticut Tragedy (nurturingparentsandteachers.com)
• Talking to Children about Death (hospicenet.org)
• Talking To Your Children About Violence Against Kids (University of Minnesota)
• American Academy of Pediatrics – Resources to Help Parents, Children and Others Cope in the Aftermath of School Shootings (healthychildren.org)
• Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
• Talking with Kids About News: Strategies for Talking and Listening (pbs.org)
• Crisis and School Safety (National Association of School Psychologists)
• Talking to Children About Tragic Events (Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund /One Tough Job)
• Talking to Your Children About the Recent Spate of School Shootings (American Psychological Association)
• Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Psychological Association)
• When Children Experience Trauma: A Guide for Parents and Families (Act Against Violence /American Psychological Association)
• Tips for Talking to Children and Youth After Traumatic Events: A Guide for Parents and Educators (samhsa.gov)
• Age Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Helping Children Cope With A National Tragedy: Guidelines for Educators and Parents (University Behavioral Healthcare)
• Guidelines for “Helping Children Deal with News Violence” (Diane Levin, Ph.D., Wheelock College)

This resource list is updated continuously so please check back soon.

The Greater Houston Association for Infant Mental Health (GHAIMH) is pleased to invite you to a special mid-morning event featuring renown authority on children in crisis, Dr. Bruce Perry. GHAIMH is especially pleased to be able to offer this event to the community at no cost.

May 8, 2012

10:00 – 10:30 – Refreshments & Networking
10:30 – 11:30 – Dr. Bruce Perry

The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston
303 Jackson Hill Street
Houston, TX 77007

Presentation Description

The development of a young child is profoundly influenced by experience.  Experiences – good and bad – shape the organization of the brain. The ultimate effect is to impact emotional, social, cognitive and physiological functioning.  Insights into this process come from understanding brain development. Both trauma and neglect, the absence of essential developmental experiences required to express a fundamental potential of a child, are pervasive problems in our culture. Various forms of neglect are possible and include splinter neglect, total global neglect and emotional or relational neglect.  Chaos, threat and abnormal patterns of emotional, social, cognitive and physical interactions with young children lead to an array of brain-related problems. This presentation will review clinical work and research that can help us better understand developmental trauma, neglect and the relational problems that arise from neglect and threat.  An overview will be provided that suggests new directions for clinical practice, program development and policy.

About Dr. Perry

Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy, a not-for-profit organization based in Houston (www.ChildTrauma.org) and adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago.  Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered, published in April of 2010.  Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions.

Seating is Limited. RSVP Required.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F2DW8GZ

Please take time to respond to this survey to have your collective voice heard.  The survey is very interesting – basically lays out current standards and nationally recommended standards and asks if the respondent is in support.  It again asks if there is still support for the changes if there is additional cost.

The Texas Association for Infant Mental Health and the Greater Houston Association for Infant Mental Health urge you top respond to this survey.  Speak out for the young children of Texas!

At the end, it has a place for comments Please consider adding “Support for the DFPS recommended standards from the Fall of 2010 review” which is the message of the group working on improving childcare.