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ACMH

Phone: 517 372-4016

Parent Line: (888) ACMH-KID (226-4543)

Resources for Families Following the Shooting at Robb Elementary

As parents we also know it is often difficult to know how to best support our kids when they are exposed to, hear about or experience traumatic events in the world, community and especially their school. The recent shooting at Robb Elementary School just after a shooting at a grocery store ten days earlier and a tragic school shooting here in our home state only six months ago have left many of us at a loss for words to support and comfort our kids and ourselves. As a statewide family organization, the heart of the entire ACMH community breaks for the children and families of Robb Elementary & the Uvalde community. We recognize that there are no words, well-wishes or condolences we can share that can help. The short and long-term impacts of this tragic event on children, youth, and families in Uvalde will be immense and immeasurable and they, like so many other school communities across our nation including will never be the same. We know that access to quality information, resources and support are key at times like these and will use this space to share resources from trusted partners we hope can you can use to help support your kids and family.

 

Resources for Parents, Caregivers and Youth 

NCTSN Talking to Children About the Shooting

Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen (En Español)

PFA Parent Tips for Helping School Age Children After Disasters

Talking to Teens About Frightening Events (En Español)

For Teens: Coping After Mass Violence(En Español)

Going Back to School After a Tragedy

NCTSN Age-Related Reactions to A Traumatic Event

SAMHSA Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event

AAP Talking to Children About Tragedies & Other News Events

APA Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting

Anxiety Over School Shootings – Finding proactive ways to deal with worried feelings

Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after the Recent Shooting

Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after the Recent Shooting SPANISH

Psychological Impact of the Recent Shooting

Talking to Children About Terrorist Attacks & School & Community Shootings in the News

NCTSN School Shooting Resources

Sesame Street in Communities: Community & Gun Violence

NIMH Helping Children & Adolescents Cope with Traumatic Events

AAP Talking with Children About Disasters

CDC Helping Children Cope During & After a Disaster

APA Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting

APA Managing Your Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting

After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal

Once I Was Very Very Scared – Children’s book for young children

New Featured Resource

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network – I Don’t Know How Webinar Series for Parents

This video series is a set of conversations between parents and providers discussing varying topics related to difficult situations and conversations parents find themselves in with their children. Explores difficult topics to help equip parents with the tools to navigate and provide support for various mental health conditions.  Topics include:

My Child is Suicidal and I Don’t Know How to Help
Explores personal experiences faced by parents who learn that their child is struggling with suicidal thoughts, teachers who support youth struggling with suicidal thoughts in school, and providers who help youth and families negotiate recovery from suicidal ideation.

I Don’t Know How to Address Worries About My Child’s Safety at School
Includes discussion from providers who work with families, communities, and schools before, during, and after violent events as well as parents and school staff, to explore personal experiences faced by those who have struggled to deal with and address their child’s safety at school.

I Don’t Know How to Navigating My Child’s Worries About Bullying
Explores personal experiences faced by parents whose children are dealing with bullying in school and the challenges that accompany a successful intervention to stop the bullying behaviors.

 

 

General Resources

For Teachers, Educators

CRWS Talking to Students About Violence

Help Lines

SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline. Call or text 1-800-985-5990 (for Spanish, press “2”) to be connected to a trained counselor 24/7/365.

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Unfortunately this is not the first time there has been a need to share information and resources for families to help support their kids following a school shooting. Sadly the last time was less than 6 months ago following a shooting at Oxford High School right here in our home state. Resources shared then are also pasted below.

Resources to Support Families following the Oxford School Shooting

Our Hearts Go Out to Oxford and Communities Across Michigan

As a statewide family organization, the heart of the entire ACMH family goes out to and breaks for the families who lost their children, students and staff who were injured, lost classmates and friends and the entire Oxford community following the shooting at Oxford High School last week. We recognize there are no words, well-wishes or condolences we could possibly share here that can help make any of this any better or easier. The short and long-term impacts of this tragic event on children, youth, and families in Oxford and across our state will be immense and immeasurable and all of us will likely never be the same. Reminding us once again just how quickly our lives can be forever altered or affected by events that have the capacity to shatter our sense of safety and security, challenge our ability to cope and threaten our overall mental health and wellness.  

As an organization created to provide help and hope to families we like all Michiganders want to do anything we can to help. So if you, your child or family has been affected by this tragedy reach out today!

Events like this underscore the incredible importance of supporting children’s mental health and ensuring youth and their families have access to the services and support they need, which will be more important than ever as parents and communities across our state navigate the aftermath of this tragedy.  As an organization dedicated to helping ensure that all Michigan children and youth with mental health challenges and their families live in a safe, welcoming communities with access to needed services and supports we know that this is a critical moment, in our state and the stakes are especially high. Students, families and schools in Oxford and communities across our state will need a lot of extra care and support in the coming months. Which will certainly be a challenge in a time when mental health needs are already high and resources scarce. It will take all of us working together to ensure that everyone who needs help to deal with this crisis gets it. We will need to share our collective expertise, efforts, information, resources, services and supports so that everyone can access what they need to heal and move forward We owe it to them, ourselves, our communities and the future of our state to make sure they get what they need!

We know that access to quality information, resources and peer support are key in order for families, schools and communities to successfully support and advocate for the mental health needs of children and youth. We will be working to gather information, tips and resources that may be helpful and dedicating this page to sharing them for the next several months. As information from mental health and disaster professionals, families, youth and community partners is shared with us we will share them here. Please check back often as new resources will be posted regularly and be sure to let us know if you you have something you have found especially helpful or can’t find something you need or think may be helpful.

Resources for Youth, Parents , Caregivers, Schools and Communities

American Psychological Association

Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting
Helping your children manage distress in the aftermath of a shooting

Child Mind Institute

Going Back to School After a Tragedy
Anxiety Over School Shootings – Finding proactive ways to deal with worried feelings

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

MDHHS Oxford Mental Health Resources

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after the Recent Shooting
Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after the Recent Shooting SPANISH
Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
Psychological Impact of the Recent Shooting
Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators

SAMHSA- Resources for responding to needs surrounding the Oxford shooting

National Association of School Psychologists

Talking To Children About Violence Tips for Parents and Teachers
PREPaRE Crisis Support Guidance  Brief Version

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief After a Disaster or Traumatic Event
Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Managing Stress
Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief After Community Violence
Understanding Child Trauma
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline Downloadable Brochure
SAMHSA Resources For Responding to Needs Surrounding the Oxford School Shooting

Resources and Information From Other Partners

Mental Health Considerations After a Traumatic Event. Voices Center for Resilience
Oakland Community Health Network – Mental Health Tips Following a National Tragedy – OCHN
Resources to help Michigan families cope with the Oxford High School shooting – Bridge Magazine/Chalkboard
Psychological First Aid: How You Can Support Well-Being in Disaster Victims
AACAP FFF Threats by Children When are they Serious?

Crisis Resources

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1–800–273–TALK (1–800–273–8255), or, for Spanish, call 1–888–628–9454.The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available 24/7 to people in crisis, including challenging reactions to disasters.

Call or text 1–800–985–5990 and receive immediate counseling. This free, confidential, and multilingual crisis support service is available to anyone experiencing psychological distress as a result of a natural or human caused event. People who call and text are connected to trained and caring professionals from crisis counseling centers in the network who can provide immediate confidential counseling, referrals, and other needed support services.

Oakland County Mental Health Crisis Lines :

Oakland County 24-Hour Crisis Helpline 800-231-1127 or the Michigan Crisis and Access Line (MiCAL) 1-844-446-4225 (Call or Text).

Bounce Back Now is a free mobile app available through the Google Play and App Stores. It is intended to help people with coping and resilience after a natural disaster or incident of mass violence. Once users have created an account, they can complete regular questionnaires to assess mental health, access education and coping tools, and put together a plan for improving emotional health. There are also parenting tips for helping children and teens in coping with the emotional impacts of a disaster. 

Hear about a threat? Say Something!

Call 8-555-OK2SAY (855-565-2729)
Text: 652729 (OK2SAY)
Email: [email protected]

OK2SAY  makes it easy to report threats of school violence and other suspect behavior anonymously.