Local help is on hand for young people and families experiencing traumatic incidents

14/11/2011 | Support for young people

Traumatic incidents, including natural disasters, accidents, and the concerning trend of youth suicide all impact on our young people, the schools they attend, and the wider community. 

However, there is a local team of professionals available to provide support for young people and their families in such traumatic incidents. They comprise staff from Special Education, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and Public Health Services who make up a Traumatic Incident Response Team.

Most of us can generally manage those life events which, while distressing, may be defined as “usual”. Such usual events may include sitting examinations, the loss of a job or the loss of a loved one following an illness. While these events will appropriately cause us stress, and may at times increase our vulnerability to perceiving ourselves as being emotionally overwhelmed, they none-the-less would be generally accepted as part of life.

At times, some of us may be exposed to events which might be described as being outside of usual lived experience, for example the Christchurch earthquakes, or the sudden loss of someone close, by suicide. Such events are sometimes referred to as “Traumatic Incidents” frequently impacting on whole communities. There will be disruption to the patterns of normal day-to-day activities and routines, and to our relationships and as a result the usual coping strategies that people use to manage stress, will be challenged.

Our young people, while on the whole are incredibly resilient, may at times require more support than adults to manage their feelings when confronted by a traumatic incident. We need to be aware of their potentially increased vulnerability, and the need to access appropriate support. Such support is often available to young people through their own families and friends, and also from their teachers and school counsellors. But, in the face of a traumatic incident, these people may themselves be overwhelmed and having to manage a range of emotions that they have not experienced previously.

Since the early 1990s Ministry of Education-Special Education has supported schools to plan for, and manage, emergencies and traumatic incidents when they occur. In our local area the Ministry’s Traumatic Incident Response team is frequently supported by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Maori Mental Health and Public Health Services. There is a long standing protocol between education and health describing how the services work in collaboration to provide a coordinated response to traumatic incidents which can occur as the result of natural disasters, or human mis-endeavour resulting in accidental or non accidental death, including suicides.

On becoming aware that a traumatic incident has taken place support will be offered by the various services. Education team members work alongside school management teams to ensure systems of physical and emotional safety to support the school community are in place. The health services specialist role is to assess the impact of the trauma and to be responsible for individual risk assessment of pupils. Students and adults severely affected by the traumatic incident will be supported, and where necessary appropriate follow-up and interventions recommended. The Traumatic Incident Response Team works with the school to get normal school structures and routines up and running as soon as possible and until the school is able to manage the effects of the traumatic incident independently.

At such times when young people are showing signs of ongoing distress, they may access a range of other supports including: being seen by the school counsellor, the Public Health Nurse attending the school, or their General Practitioner. A referral to MidCentral Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service may be made where further assessment can be completed by specialist mental health staff with a view to determining if ongoing treatment of any problems the young person is experiencing is needed. Such a referral will be highly appropriate in any situation in which a young person is expressing thoughts of suicide, threatening self-harm, or actually self-harming.  Students and adults may also require additional support if they are vulnerable due to having experienced previous trauma or loss during their lives.

Fact box:

For further information see the Ministry of Education website which describes in detail supports provided to schools in managing emergencies and traumatic incidents: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SpecialEducation/PublicationsAndResources/TraumaticIncidentManagementSupportForSchoolsAndECEServices.aspx
Information on MidCentral Health’s Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Services can be found on MidCentral Health’s website, or is available by contacting the service on (06) 350-8373.

If you are concerned about your child having mental health difficulties, these should be discussed with your family GP.
If your child requires urgent attention as an outcome of a mental health problem, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service can be contacted on (06) 350-8373. Out of office hours, (before 8.30 am and after 4pm), please contact the mental health helpline on 0800 653357.

There are a number of excellent resources available describing the impact of traumatic incidents on children and teenagers and suggestions for how to help them cope, and on how to recognise that professional help should be sought, for example:
http://kidshealth.org.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/contentpage/pi_id/482
http://www.skylight.org.nz/Helpful+Information+for+Professionals+Supporting+Adults,+Teens+and+Children+Impacted+By+the+Earthquake

Contact: Communications Unit (06) 350-8945.