Some resources available to support the family:
Child, Youth and Family Service
Coping With Tragedy (see below)
Mental Health Services
Vermont Suicide Prevention Center
Speaking with Children About Suicide
Substance Abuse Services
National Association of School Psychologists
American Foundation For Suicide Prevention- Find Support
UMatter VT Suicide Prevention
FAQ's Transgender Students' Guide
Guide to Grieving Support Resources
Worried about someone you care about? Call 488-7777 or visit www.howardcenter.org
Helping Children Cope With Tragic News - Guidelines for Parents
One of the most helpful things you can do for your children in coping with tragic news is to simply talk and listen to them in a nonjudgmental way. Let your child lead the conversation. No one knows your child better than you do. We don't always know how a child will be affected by a tragedy such as death, but their reactions are typically quite different from adults. Children might benefit from having the conversation in several small doses. Experts suggest to be prepared for your child to do any of the following:
- Claim/seem not to be affected
- Ask a lot of questions, repeating the same ones again and again
- Act agitated and angry
- Try abnormally hard to be good
- Withdraw
- Have frightful dream
At school, our counselors are prepared to speak with students as appropriate and needed. Providing truthful information, encouraging questions, and offering loving reassurance to your children, can allow your family to find the strength to cope with loss.