Helping Children and Teens Cope with Trauma and PTSD Symptoms: A Guide for Parents
Whilst many navigate childhood without serious trauma, a percentage of our young people will suffer from PTSD symptoms as a result of a negative experience. The scale of the childhood trauma problem in the United States is difficult to gauge. Estimates place the number of children who suffer at between 14% and 43% of the population, with a smaller percentage – up to 15% for girls and 6% for boys – going on to suffer full-blown PTSD.
What constitutes as a traumatic event for a child? It could be something domestic, such as a parental relationship breakup, or something deeper, such as a car accident, or witnessing a serious crime. Some children may react straightaway, whilst others may develop symptoms of PTSD over time.
How Do I Spot Signs of PTSD?
Signs of PTSD may manifest immediately, or they may develop over time. There are a range of behaviors to look out for, including:
Behaving aggressively or disobeying rules
Separation anxiety
Inability to carry out tasks they previously did, like getting dressed or using the toilet
Wetting the bed, inability to sleep
Excess energy
Becoming withdrawn and less playful
Harmful effects of untreated PTSD in children
Here are some examples of traumatic events that could cause PTSD symptoms in children:
Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
Neglect, abandonment, or separation from a caregiver
Witnessing or experiencing violence or a natural disaster
Serious accidents or injuries
A sudden death of a family member or close friend
Serious illness or medical procedures
Being in a war zone or refugee camp
Bullying or harassment at school or online
Being a victim of a crime such as a robbery, assault or kidnapping
Any event that causes intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
It is important to note that not all children who experience traumatic events will develop PTSD. However, it is important to recognize the signs of PTSD in children, such as nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, increased anxiety or fear, and changes in mood or behavior. If you suspect your child may be experiencing PTSD symptoms, it is important to seek professional help. At sunshine city counseling, we have a child therapists and teen counselor’s who specialize in working with kids and teens who are struggling with ptsd or trauma.
Read - 10 questions to ask a therapist before starting counseling.
How To Help Guide a Child Through Trauma
There are numerous ways you can seek to help a child through a traumatic event, and we’ll explore the best of these here:
Ensure Your Headspace is Right
Your own response can guide your child’s response to a traumatic event. Naturally, a child will look to a parent for comfort and solace, and how you respond to them and process the event yourself can have a bearing on how they process it as well. So, the first thing to do if it is a shared trauma is to ensure you are on a stable emotional grounding, so as to not pass issues on to your child. If you cannot process the event yourself, then it is best to seek professional help immediately to prevent worsening your child’s symptoms. That could talk therapy for you or guided therapy and support for your child.
Allow Discussion
It is important to encourage your child to talk about their feelings and give them a chance to express themselves. This is different to making them relive the trauma – you should not ask them to go over what happened, as that can strengthen the negative feelings they have. Instead, create a safe space for them where they can share how they feel, and allow them to grieve any losses. Remember, they don’t have to talk to you; a teen may find it difficult to discuss something with a parent, but feel comfortable with a grandparent or uncle. It doesn’t matter particularly who they speak to if they are willing to speak. Just ensure you can facilitate that communication, and actively encourage it.
Create Routines
Creating a sense of routine is important, as this will develop a structure for your child's day which will help them feel safer. Safety is a huge factor in helping a child through a traumatic experience, especially if the event was one that resulted in the loss of a loved one, or injury. Whilst hugging and reassurance will help develop that safety, a fixed a certain routine will be just as effective as it creates a framework, a certainty day-to-day which acts as a foundation to build a recovery.
That means having set meal times, with the same family members each day, a sense of normality that can be relied upon. Try to set time for exercise or outdoor play and indoor screen time that’s managed and regulated. Too much of something, such as screen time, can have an adverse effect, but in a managed environment it can build that much-needed structure.
It’s also important when they’re ready to ensure they have hobbies or interests to pursue. These might have been something they did before, such as a sports team, or it could be something new and expressive as a way of releasing emotions. There are varying pastimes which are both fulfilling and distracting but also allow a child to express themselves through different mediums.
Types of Therapy for Children with PTSD Symptoms
Music Therapy
It’s a commonly held belief that music has the unique ability to improve mood and affect emotion – an article by Forbes explains how it increases activity in the part of the brain related to reward and emotion. That makes it a perfect tool for helping a child through trauma. Not only does it have proven mental health benefits, but it can act as a creative outlet for expression, especially useful if your child has struggled with their feelings, or PTSD, after a traumatic experience. At first, music therapy is best as a guided practice, possibly with a tutor or health professional. However, you can then encourage your child to pursue their music in their own time. This will act as a distraction for their mind, something to focus on that is not the event, or how they’re processing their feelings.
To get started, perhaps choose a musical instrument with them they can practice on and learn. A basic keyboard, such as a Casio starter keyboard shouldn’t set you back too much, but they have enough features to allow your child to get creative. Another option would be a guitar, a simple six-string acoustic, for them to practice and learn on. As they get better, they may find that it is not only a creative outlet, but a safe space where they can relax, even if the PTSD symptoms are ongoing.
Photo Therapy
Photography is a powerful tool for self-examination and creativity, and it might also be a good form of therapy for your child to help them through their trauma. It is another form of expression, looking at things in different ways and finding alternative interpretations. Dealing with grief and trauma is much the same – you need to frame your feelings in a different manner to move on. That’s why photography therapy is another great choice for helping a child through trauma. Not only will it force them to look at the world differently, but there are plenty of technical elements they can learn which will help keep the mind busy. A typical digital SLR has many settings which can easily be learned from YouTube tutorials, but that will also ensure a distraction from their trauma.
Buying a camera can be tricky, but these days one that can handle video and images is probably best – that way if your child gets really creative they can do filmmaking with the same bit of kit. Whilst Canon and Nikon have been the traditional powerhouses of the camera world, Sony are also popular right now, and it’s a brand many children recognize from gaming. The Sony Alpha A7R V mirrorless is a 61-megapixel camera with high-quality 8K movie capabilities, and it would give your teenager plenty of options around creativity and image capture. It has an easy-to-use interface as well, generally regarded as more straightforward than a Canon or Nikon. Of course, this is more suitable for teens, but for younger children, it’s perhaps best to start with something like the VTech KidiZoom Duo which is more capable of handling a few bumps and scrapes.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of therapy that focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors. For children with PTSD, CBT may involve teaching the child coping strategies to manage their symptoms, helping them to identify and challenge negative thoughts related to their traumatic experience, and gradually exposing them to situations or objects that trigger their symptoms in a safe and controlled environment.
Play therapy
Play therapy is a form of therapy that uses play to help children communicate and process their emotions. For children with PTSD, play therapy may involve the use of dolls, puppets, or other toys to act out and process traumatic experiences. This can help children to feel more in control of their feelings and reduce the impact of their trauma on their daily lives.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a type of therapy that involves a combination of talk therapy and eye movements or other types of rhythmic, repetitive sensory stimulation. For children with PTSD, EMDR may involve recalling traumatic events while simultaneously tracking a therapist's finger or other visual stimulus. The goal of this therapy is to help the child reprocess traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional impact. Olivia Pelts recorded a podcast with an EMDR Expert - check it out.
Family therapy
Family therapy can be effective for children with PTSD as it involves working with the whole family to improve communication, build support systems, and help family members understand how to best support the child with PTSD. Family therapy can also be helpful in addressing any family dynamics or issues that may be contributing to the child's PTSD symptoms.
It's important to note that every child is unique and may respond differently to different types of therapy. A qualified mental health professional can help determine what type of therapy may be best suited for your child's specific needs. Professionals with a background, such as a bachelor's in early childhood development, are often well-equipped to understand the complexities of trauma in children and tailor interventions accordingly At Sunshine City Counseling in St. Petersburg, FL, we have teen therapists who can work with your teen who may be struggling with trauma or PTSD.
Conclusion: Helping Children with PTSD Symptoms
Childhood trauma can affect anyone, and it’s how you respond and guide your child through these events that can help them move forward. Encouraging conversation, with you, other family members, or a professional is important. After that ensure you stick to routines and try to keep them both occupied and stimulated. If you can find the right pastime and hobby, which keeps their mind active but is also fun and engaging, then you can hopefully minimize the risk of ongoing PTSD following a traumatic event. Of course, child therapy or teen counseling is also incredibly helpful and necessary for kids struggling from a traumatic event.
If you found this article useful, you might also glean benefits from this article - The Science Behind Talk Therapy: How It Works, Benefits and More.
All the Best,
Lucia Dalton
Teen Therapists in St. Petersburg, Fl
Ciara Gorby
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
Alexis Younes
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
We provide online counseling and in-person therapy in the states of Florida and Maine.