Project Reassure, a collaborative effort of the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education and The Watson Institute, is the work of an interdisciplinary team of volunteers and graduate students. We have created resources for adults to use while caring for young victims displaced and/or distressed by traumatic events, such as natural disasters or school violence. We are especially concerned about children with disabilities, whose needs often go unnoticed.
To aid caregivers who may not have a background in mental health or disaster work, Project Reassure offers short handouts with suggestions for: coping with traumatic stress, music and play activities to pass the time during long hours, communication strategies, and simple interventions to re-establish calm in the lives of disaster's youngest victims. We hope that our work will continue to reassure future young survivors. Here are some excerpts from our readable resources for lay caregivers.
-
Preschoolers & Toddlers
"Stick with a routine, including times when the child can play & relax."
-
Elementary School-aged Children
"Limit details shared with children; limit their exposure to media coverage of the event."
-
Special Needs
"Give the child a way to halt an activity or song or entertainment by providing or agreeing on a signal to stop."
-
Teenagers
"Encourage teens to make a difference by creating a disaster plan for their families... to raise funds for relief ...or to volunteer"
Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, a small volunteer group of mental health specialists, psychologists, crisis responders, educators, students, photographers, designers, and other professionals were inspired to create resources to assist adults caring for youth victims displaced and distressed by the hurricane. In 2012, students from the University of Pittsburgh's Applied Developmental Psychology department recognized the importance to continue building the resources available for those assisting children and youth during traumatic stress.
Project Reassure offers suggestions for coping with traumatic stress, music and play activities to pass the time during long hours, communication strategies, and simple interventions to re-establish calm in the lives children who are experiencing trauma. Because these resources apply to other traumatic events, we hope that our work will continue to reassure future young survivors. We are especially concerned about those with disabilities, whose needs often go unnoticed. Additionally, we have started translating existing resources on the site.
We have maintained the site as an ongoing resource to those who care for children following a traumatic event. Feel free to download, print, and distribute the resource pages you find here, as long you are not using them for commercial purposes. If you want to publish any of the resources, just contact us for permission.