Sesame Street, Kids, and PTSD
For the past few months, I’ve been researching the subject of kids and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While the body of information about older children with PTSD and resources to help them is growing, the same can’t be said for younger kids. Fewer resources exist for young children who’ve experienced trauma. And even fewer resources exist for families of children who’ve experienced medical induced trauma.
Elmo and Chester are Here for You
So I was pleased to discover that the Sesame Street Workshop has created several DVDs about a variety of circumstances that can result in trauma for young children. One of them, Here for You, targets children hospitalized with serious illnesses. Explanatory notes are available at this web page, where you an also view the DVD.
Hooray for Sesame Street!
The other DVDs in the series address topics like military deployment, hurricanes, general fear and stress in young kids, grieving families, families with financial difficulties, and preparing for emergencies. For titles, summaries and links to individual DVD pages, visit www.sesameworkshop.org.
What Resources Have You Found?
Have you found resources that help very young children who are facing or have experienced trauma? Please share them in the comment box so we can help kids recover from the hurt in their lives.
Heading for Sesame Street,
Jolene
Our best find was a psychologist with a certificate in “infant mental health” – she was prepared to work with our son, who was 2 and nonverbal when we first saw her.
Wow, that is a find. I would love to interview her as part of the research for my new book on PTSD in kids!
Jolene