The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

Identifying dangerous Warning Signs and Trauma Symptoms By: Dwight Bain, LMHC A community crisis can terrorize an entire community in just a few minutes, while the recovery process to rebuild from the terrorist attack may take weeks or months to sort through. The more you know about how to survive and rebuild after this crisis, the faster you can take positive action to get your personal and professional life back on track. Since community crisis events like terrorism, shootings at schools, malls or churches, or bombing are unpredictable, it requires a different course of action than the crisis brought on from natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and floods. What can you do right now to cope with the psychological impact of a major community crisis brought on through terrorism? 1. Deal Directly with Your Emotions This will reduce the tension and stress on you, which allows you to have more energy to deal with a difficult situa...

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC Children look to their parents for support and encouragement during any crisis. The following is a guide to help parents and teachers manage the flood of emotions that may come up because of the terrorist attacks. Ages birth-6 It is recommended that children under the age of six not be given exposure to major traumatic events. Children of this age draw their support from their parents, so if the parents or guardians feel safe and secure, the children will as well. Parents should speak calmly around children about bad things that happen in the world, and that "we will remember the people that were hurt in our prayers." If the parents are able to maintain a sense of calmness, children will feel safe. Ages 6-12 Children this age are more aware of the world around them, yet still need moms and dads to shield them from most of the bad news in our world. Very limited exposure to the media is recommended at this stage, with more open discussions ...

B y: Dwight Bain, LMHC  The terrorist attack in Orlando creates the immediate feeling of being overwhelmed emotionally and confused about what to do next.   The following are some practical steps to prevent secondary trauma, which is a condition that occurs after a major critical incident. These principles will help you, or the people you love to stabilize. The first step is to practice self-care. This is listening to your own emotions and dealing with your own level of fear. You need to stabilize in order to help the people you care about. Pay attention to your own emotions of fear, anxiety, panic, or trauma so you can take immediate action to manage the flood of emotions.   One of the simplest ways to do this, involves a legal pad and a pen. Writing down what you're feeling and what you're experiencing will help you get through the process faster. (For very young children this can be done through art or drawing, or maybe drawing a picture for a firefighter o...