Mental health support at times of an emergency or natural disaster

Following an emergency or disaster it is important to provide children and young people with an opportunity to share their experiences and express their feelings.               

When children and young people are sharing their experiences it is important to:              

• listen to what they are saying
• take notice of how they are behaving. Children and young people may show how they are feeling in a non-verbal way (e.g. they may be distressed, agitated, withdrawn or unsettled)
• respond encouragingly, and show interest and empathy
• acknowledge any difficulty they may be having
• avoid making judgements and predictions
• respect their wishes not to share thoughts or feelings.
  

To re-establish children and young people's feelings of physical and emotional safety following an emergency or disaster, it is important to:               

• treat their fears, worries and other concerns with respect, and provide help that is supportive and discreet
• answer questions honestly using age appropriate explanations
• provide opportunities to write or draw about the event (this should not be a compulsory activity)
• let them know most reactions to the event are normal
• make adjustments to activities or tasks that are sensitive to their current level of functioning
• be aware of things that might re-traumatise children and adolescents.
  

Following an emergency or natural disaster it is important to help children and young people re-establish their normal social relationships and stay connected to others in order to experience social support. Restoring and building connections promotes stability and recovery.              

You can encourage connections by:              

• 'checking in' regularly with children and young people 
• communicating regularly with others involved with the child or young person 
• ensuring resources are available
• encouraging interactive school activities, class projects, school based projects and community activities
• brainstorming ways that connect children and young people with their school and community.

Supports and resources for school and department staff affected by the October 2022 Victorian flood event.

Support for students and staff can be found via headspace's mental health support for Australian students,teachers, and schools following large scale incidents fact sheet                   

The University of Melbourne's literature review  outlines research-informed approaches to supporting student wellbeing post-disaster.             

Resources for students

• ReachOut's coping during the coronavirus provides advice to young people
• headspace's How to cope with stress related to Novel Coronavirus, provides information for young people (aged 12-25).  
  

Resources for parents and teachers

• Emerging Mind - supporting children during the coronavirus outbreak
• Be You - COVID19: supporting educators, children and young people
• ReachOut - Deal with bad world news resource
• Lifeline - Mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak
• Beyondblue - Looking after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak
• World Health Organisation - Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak
• World Health Organisation – Helping Children cope with stress during the COVID-19 Outbreak
• Centres for Disease Control – Manage Anxiety and Stress
• Centres for Disease Control – helping children cope with emergencies 
  
• Raising Children Network Coronavirus - (COVID-19) and children in Australia
• KidsHealth – Coronavirus (COVID-19): How to Talk to Your Child
• eSafety Office – COVID-19: an online safety kit for parents and carers
• Headspace – for family and friends
  

For support specific to the 2019-2020 bushfires, see: Mental health support for the 2019-2020 bushfires             

A Strathewen community: A bushfire recovery story 10 years in the making case study on how a community recovers from the impacts of a natural disaster and the role a school can play.             

The Department of Health and Human Services' video on Children and Trauma with clinical psychologist Dr Rob Gordon.

The Emerging Minds Community Trauma Toolkit contains comprehensive resources to support children, young people and adults before, during and after a disaster or emergency.             

Information on grief, trauma and loss for children and young people following a natural disaster can be found via Beyond Blue's Grief, trauma and critical incidents fact sheets.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network in the United States of America has a number of resources and training on psychological first aid for schools and teachers

PFA Mobile App (search psychological first aid in the App store or Google Play).