Resources for Navigating Scary Events With Children

During challenging times, we can all use additional support and resources to help us navigate tragedy—especially when it comes to helping our children process what they are hearing and seeing on the news, or from their peers at school. Below are some resources for yourself and your child.

Books:

What to Do When the News Scares You: A Kid’s Guide to Understanding Current Events:

What to Do When the News Scares You provides a way to help children put scary events into perspective. And, if children start to worry or become anxious about things they’ve heard, there are ideas to help them calm down and cope.

Something Bad Happened: A Kid’s Guide to Coping With Events in the News

Something Bad Happened guides children ages 6 to 12 and the adults who care about them through tough conversations about news of large-scale disasters, addressing questions such as: “Where did it happen?” “Why did it happen?” And, “Will it happen again?” Feelings such as sadness, fear and confusion are normalized, and coping tools provided.

When the World Feels Like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents and Worried Kids

This book is full of conversation scripts — with dialogue, talking points, prompts, and insightful asides — that are each age-appropriate and centered around different issues.

Articles and videos:

“What To Say To Kids When The News Is Scary”

“Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories” by PBS Kids

Community & Gun Violence by Sesame Street

Talk to someone:

WellMama: Text SUPPORT to 541-525-0495 and a WellMama Peer Support Volunteer will respond. 

White Bird Crisis Line is accessible 24/7 by phone at 541-687-4000

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1/800-273-8255 (voice) 838255 (text)

Crisis Response Program: 24-hour service to families in Lane County by The Child and Adolescent Network, providing telephone and community-based mental health crisis intervention for children and adolescents. 888–989–9990

Crisis Text Line: 24/7 crisis support. Text to reach a trained crisis counselor. Text “home” to 741741

NAMI Lane County: NAMI Lane County is a grassroots, confidential, peer-led mental health organization offering support, education, and advocacy services in Lane County at no cost to the participant. NAMI also maintains a Resource Center which is open to the public where we offer a check-out library of publications and videos on the various mental health conditions, information on symptoms, treatment modes, methods for family coping, research, etc.