How to talk to children about flooding – a guide has been created
To support parents and childcare providers and those in direct contact with children, researchers have created a guide that can help children recover from flood trauma.
However, our guide is only a signpost, as every parent knows their child best and will use our tips a little differently – emphasises prof. Dariusz Galasiński from the Institute of Journalism and Social Communication at the University of Wrocław.
The idea for the guide came about as soon as specialists from Wrocław universities were contacted by a psychologist working in Kłodzko. She talked about the problems with child support. – Both parents and people who work with children do not know how to talk to them about the flood, she alarmed. – And the matter is urgent as children start to return to school after the floods.
The researchers immediately decided to act. Professors Justyna Ziolkowska from the SWPS University and Dariusz Galasiński assembled a team that immediately started working on the guide. They were joined by Izabela Bancewicz-Mikulewicz, Provincial Consultant for Clinical Psychology, and their patronage was extended to prof. Bernadetta Izydorczyk, National Consultant for Clinical Psychology.
If the adults around the child are stressed or worried, the child may also feel anxious – says prof. Dariusz Galasiński. – It is therefore a good idea to share with children how we deal with our emotions in the situation we find ourselves in.
These and many other important tips for carers can be found in the guide JAK ROZMAWIAĆ Z DZIEĆMI O POWODZI. PORADNIK DLA RODZICÓW I OPIEKUNÓW
We encourage you to print and use the tips and advice of psychologists.– It is very important to talk to children about what happened in the last flood weeks, about the causes and consequences, according to specialists who are still working on a therapeutic fairy tale with a similar theme aimed at the youngest.
Complied by Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
