How to properly support a student whose father or mother is currently defending Ukraine?
Psychologists advise:
To be a real support and support for a child, an adult must first of all pay attention to his own emotional state. After all, children very accurately read any feeling of tension or the slightest insincerity.
Similar circumstances can cause completely different reactions in children. While one student, missing his military parents, will withdraw into himself and hold back his emotions, the other will attract attention with aggressive behavior. Remember that aggression in such a case is an attempt at self-defense, so you should not immediately punish a student for bad behavior without understanding its cause in detail.
Regular attention will help the child to relieve stress and emotional tension. Sometimes sincere communication or even just a silent presence and signs of support are enough to calm the student and help him reduce his feelings of anxiety.
Crying and being sad is normal. Allow the child to express any emotions, helping and supporting him in this. Younger students can be helped by offering to depict their emotions on paper, and then discuss the drawing together. Older children can try keeping a diary in which they record their experiences. It would also be a good idea to organize a theater group.
Support groups are held for children of military personnel. This is an opportunity in a safe environment, accompanied by psychologist specialists, to share your thoughts and emotional experiences with peers who are going through something similar, share what concerns them. Also, at such meetings, children can learn and try out simple self-regulation techniques, which they will be able to use independently in the future if necessary. If necessary, contact the Psychosocial Support Service for Military Families and get all the help you need.
