Parent Strategies after a school tragedy

Parent Strategies forward in light of the school shooting in Florida:
1. Parents need to create a home environment and their own disposition as calm, relaxed, focused on listening when their child may be asking questions around the event. Parents should stay factual, brief and answer based on their own family morals, values and belief systems.
2. It is important to reassure your children that they are safe. Parents need to take the leadership role and remain in the driver's seat. They need to communicate that they are connected with teachers, principals, counselors and the community working very hard to ensure that they are safe.

3. It is important to create in your home environments business as usual, stay as close to a schedule as possible limiting as much as possible viewing news both on television and social media.
4. It is time to work closely toward your child's emotional equilibrium. All of this is to say to monitor their eating habits, sleep patterns and ability to focus and concentrate in school. If for some reason within a week they appear highly anxious, crying a lot, excessive worrying and unable to stop talking about their fear around being at school then it may be time to consult your pediatrician.
5. Monitor social medial activities of children diligently.
6. Copy cat syndrome is high in this moment. Other children who are depressed, angry, defiant, bullied,etc may find right now is the opportunity to execute their own plan and this is why this moment is very high risk in our community.
7. Follow your gut. (adults, teens, children) If a child in school is noticeably depressed, states on social media an interest in harm to self, others or animals, tell someone. A teacher, a parent, anyone. Also, fire setting is an early indicator of violence. You will not look stupid by telling someone even if it is only slightly suspicious. Violent children come in all shapes and sizes but typically described as "weird, strange or off". Many people after a tragedy will honestly say they thought this kid was "off".

February 1, 2018: February is here and my topic today is Parent Partnership. I want to share my interest in working with teens and children in the context of family counseling. A child is a part of a larger system called the "family" and we have to address our young people in a unit of treatment called family counseling with occasional sessions with myself and your child. I call this parent partnership which is fabulous, incredible and engaging for all involved. Truly even a 30 minute session is hard for most kids to get through. They become bored, wiggly and lose interest quickly even with a therapist like me who is quirky, hyper and so I have heard has a great sense of humor. Parents bring their children to me as they may display symptoms of depression, grades that are mostly D's and F's and they are exhibiting an increase in behavioral problems in school and home My variety therapy box for teens is a mix up of their inspiring music, board games, journals, drawings, band instruments and favorite book and movie titles. The goal is to crack the "code" if you will which is to eventually create a safe place for children and teens to share about how they really feel. We get to the solid ground of what makes your child "tick" and ultimately the "how" is find ways to connect with them respectively. I say yes to family therapy with some splashes of kid fun, play therapy and wicked communication skills so ultimately there is " more" of what we want to see in our kids and "less" of what brought kids to my office. My office is the place to capture an opportunity to live in families that thrive rather than passing time and live a life of existence simply to survive. #happychildhoods #nevertoolate #parentparnership   #yourpainisyourgold  Victoria