Help After a Big Scare!

Today in Kansas we’ve seen rain and snow with more in the forecast. I’m not sure why, but a local grade school decided to keep with the plans for a field trip for a group of fourth and fifth graders.

At approximately 9:20 this morning the bus was involved in an accident on the turnpike and rolled over into the ditch.

Why am I Writing About This?

So why am I, a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, posting about the accident? Because grief isn’t only related to death. It can also be brought about by trauma and fear. The Grief Recovery Method defines grief as:

Did This News Report Scare You?

Now imagine you are a child riding on that bus. You are excited about the field trip. You are laughing and sitting next to your BFF. The next thing you know the bus begins to slip and slide across the the pavement. Suddenly, the bus skids into the ditch and rolls over.

How would you feel? Afraid? Panicked? Worried? My guess is all of those feelings and more. The accident certainly resulted in lots of tears and crying as the driver lost control of the bus. Now consider if the bus your child was riding lacked seat belts like buses we rode in when we were younger.

What Happens After an Accident?

Nearly half of the students needed to be seen by a doctor following the wreck. For the most part, everyone got lucky. The reports indicated the injuries were only bumps and bruises, with no serious injuries.

As a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist I know that physical injuries are not the only thing that can result from an ordeal like this. Typically, the majority of the children, including yours, will be fine and able to return to school immediately. There may be a small subset that require some extra comforting and will be quick to return to their normal schedule and activities. There may also be one or two children that are extremely impacted by the accident and refuse to get on the bus to ride to school each day.

How Can You Help Your Child ?

How can you tell if your child is the one the few that has been traumatized by the event? Here is a list of things that you may notice:

• Lose interest in friends, family, and fun activities
• Have nightmares or other sleep problems
• Become irritable, disruptive, or angry
• Struggle with school and homework
• Complain of physical problems, like being too sick to go to school which requires a bus ride
• Develop unfounded fears, such as being afraid to ride in a car
• Feel depressed, emotionally numb, or guilty over what happened

If you begin to notice these behaviors in your child please consider getting help for your child and yourself. We offer a 4-week program designed to teach parents, grandparents and professionals to help children process their grief.

What’s Next? Start Healing!

It’s never too early or too late to take the first step toward healing. You are invited to schedule a free 15-minute consultation or sign up for an upcoming Grief Recovery Support Group in Wichita, Kansas.