We all experience storms in life, literally and figuratively. And, everyone handles “storms” differently. This is true for children as well. Lately, many have suffered from horrific natural disasters – hurricanes, floods, wild fires, earthquakes. It is during times like this that we adults can become very busy in dealing with the aftermath of the disaster, that we may overlook the needs of the children who are also dealing with the same event.
It has been beautiful to see the Body of Christ come together from all over the world to link arms in bringing help, healing and wholeness to our communities. As we continue to do this, almost all of us will come in contact with families with children in some way. Walking kids through a traumatic event, like these recent natural disasters, can be very complex and not every adult will know what to do or say. It can feel overwhelming for a parent, teacher, ministry leader, or any adult dealing with children in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Thankfully, there are experts in this field and proven strategies to help navigate these conversations.
A friend in ministry, Back2Back Ministries, put together a short video entitled, “Healing Principles for Working with Children in Trauma.” It is about 18 minutes in length, and discusses research and best practices to working with children who have experienced a traumatic event. It is such a powerful, equipping tool, and we wanted to make this resource available to you to use with your community as well.
Click here for English version.
Click here for Spanish version.
The video ends with a great reminder to all of us – the caregivers, ministry leaders, counselors, family members, and friends – that we need to take the time to care for ourselves as well to rest and be filled up, so we can continue to pour out. The Church has a long road ahead and you are a vital part.
The good news is that the sun always shines after the storm.