In the wake of the devastating shooting earlier this week at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, UW–Madison’s Katie Eklund went on local radio station 89.9 WORT-FM to share some strategies for supporting kids following events like these.
Eklund, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology and the director of the School Mental Health Collaborative, said it is important for parents and educators to start the conversation with children about these kinds of events.
“We know that not talking about it can make the event even more threatening in your child’s mind, and silence can often suggest that what has taken place is too horrible to speak about,” she said.
Eklund also shared some specific recommendations to help frame the conversation:
“You can start by asking your child what they’ve heard. It’s important to correct any rumors or misinformation they might have heard, and certainly to listen to their fears,” she said. “We want to encourage children to ask questions and to be able to answer those questions directly with facts and information so that they can start to process and understand what’s taken place.”
Eklund added: “During times like this, children look to adults on how to respond, and so it’s important that adults remember that they are a positive role model to their child. So it’s okay to express sadness and empathy for the victims and their families, but then also to talk about the quick response by law enforcement and medical personnel who have been there to help the victims.”
To learn more, listen to the full interview at wortfm.org.