The Scared Child: Helping Kids Overcome Traumatic Events [Paperback]

Barbara Brooks (Author), Paula M. Siegel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471082848 | ISBN-13: 978-0471082842 | Publication Date: September 1996 | Edition: 1

Is your child afraid?

There are many traumatic experiences that cause a child to become scared--from divorce to the death of a loved one, from natural disasters to abuse. Even a disturbing news event that a child only sees on television or hears about but does not experience, such as the Oklahoma City bombing or the classroom massacre in Scotland, can make a child fearful or sad. No matter what causes the situation, childhood trauma is common and should be dealt with quickly and effectively.

Dr. Barbara Brooks, a psychologist who has successfully helped kids through all types of traumatic situations, provides you with the knowledge you need to put the child you love back on the path to a full and happy life. Kids don't always know how to react to feelings of distress. If these scared feelings are not expressed in a positive way, they can surface later in life when dealing with them becomes more difficult.

Here are detailed instructions, based on professional techniques, to encourage kids of any age--from toddler to teenager--to reveal their feelings through words, drawings, and role playing with step-by-step advice for reassuring them and helping them let go of their fear.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brooks, a psychologist employed by an organization that sends mental health-care workers to counsel disaster victims (she has worked with survivors of Hurricane Andrew and the World Trade Center bombing), and Siegel, a contributing editor at Parenting magazine, present a four-step method to help kids negotiate their emotions following traumatic events. With colleagues, Brooks developed the "critical incident debriefing technique," a straightforward approach that involves parents' preparing themselves, having the child retell what happened, sharing reactions and developing recovery skills. After disaster strikes, parents understandably hope to shield their children from painful memories, but, the authors explain, denial doesn't facilitate the healing process. It is more helpful in the long run, they aver, to encourage children to talk about their experiences. Chapters cover how to "debrief" for such eventualities as death of someone close, abuse, natural disaster, divorce, illness and injury and trauma by proxy (when a child is traumatized by another person's crisis). In a clear, levelheaded manner, Brooks and Siegel outline age-appropriate strategies for preschoolers, older children and teens. Although the text is somewhat dry, drawing more on bland composites than real-life examples, it is also authoritative, concise and sure to prove useful.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Although critical incident debriefing is currently used by mental health professionals, Dr. Brooks is the first to adapt this technique to help children overcome a traumatic experience. This accessible guide begins by introducing the concept of trauma and its effects on people. Explores diverse causes of trauma and how to recognize psychological, emotional, and physical trauma in children of different ages. The second section consists of a four-step debriefing process parents can use to help children cope with a traumatic event. Examples of how the procedure works are presented in separate chapters on death, abuse, natural disasters, divorce, illness and injury, and trauma by proxy. The final segment contains resources parents may need in helping a child through a trauma.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471082848
• ISBN-13: 978-0471082842
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scared Child a must for parents and teachers, October 17, 2001

By 

"jvolinsk1" (avon, ct USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scared Child: Helping Kids Overcome Traumatic Events (Paperback)

In light of the events of September 11,2001,no book could be timelier than The Scared Child by Barbara Brooks and Paula Siegel.Brooks,a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating families who have experienced traumatic life events,has written a valuable handbook for anyone who interacts with children.The Scared Child discusses the many different kinds of trauma that children may encounter in their lives.This book teaches some appropriate methods of helping children to understand and be reassured that there is support for them at a confusing and painful time in their lives. The author explains debriefing,a careful method of drawing out a child's feelings and asking questions so that the adult may calm any fears that they may have concerning the traumatic event.This guide can be easily read in its entirety to gain a comprehensive understanding of childhood trauma and debriefing or used simply to reference a specific kind of trauma. The text is well organized and gives detailed step-by-step instructions for talking with children about their ordeal. This book speaks to parents or guardians,but would be extremely useful for teachers or anyone who works with children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, December 27, 2002

By 

Maggie (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Scared Child: Helping Kids Overcome Traumatic Events (Paperback)

I'm earning my degree in counseling and will be working with adults and children who have experienced trauma. This book is excellent. It's geared toward parents and provides easy-to-read, thoughtful advice on how to talk to children about some very difficult issues. It provides typical reactions for each age group for each situation and great advice on how to speak to and reassure the child. This book will be valuable for my own library and I will definitely be recommending it to parents of young clients.