How to Talk to Children about Terrorism^*

Children need to talk about their feelings and to have information that they can understand.

• Be attentive and listen to the feelings that your child is communicating.
• Acknowledge, and normalize the statements your child is making.
• Be neutral. Don't judge or criticize.
• When providing information, make clear, factual, simple statements about what, when, who and why.
• It is okay to say: "I don't know".

Talking is good for us. It helps us feel better and to think together.

• Talk about what is going on, and how it makes you feel.
• Adults need to be honest about their feelings, too.
• "I'm scared." "It makes me feel sad."
• Reassure children about your plans to make them safer.

It is important for adults to understand how children communicate what they feel.

• Children often use behaviors as their primary way of communicating their feelings.
• Adults can teach children how to recognize how they feel, and to put feelings into words.

Children know something is changing even if we do not tell them.

• Children know from our non-verbal communication that something is different.
  Acknowledge it. Initiate discussion.
• Encourage your child to talk about their feelings and concerns.
  Be an example of how to talk about what you feel. Be honest.
• Provide reassurance.

For many people, doing something makes us feel better. What can we do?

• For many of us, taking action and having a plan helps us feel better.
• Reassure children that you and other adults are taking steps to make ourselves safer in our homes, our communities and in our schools.
• It is important for everyone in your family to know your family plan and to know what they can do to help.
• Families can enlist the help of children in developing and/ or practicing your family plan.

What adults can do to help children cope.

• Pay attention to the way children are behaving and view changes as an opportunity to find out more about what is going on with them.
• Be aware of your own reactions. Limit exposure to TV and News Programs.
• Keep a normal routine and schedule.
• Help children find the solutions that work for them.
• Ask: How can I help you do what you need to do so you can feel safer, too?
• If problems persist, and interfere with the child's ability to function, call a professional.

^*Crisis Intervention Service Morristown Memorial Hospital Atlantic Behavioral Health