How can I support my child with Complex PTSD?
To support your child with Complex PTSD, you can try the following activities:
- Normalising emotions: Inform the child that experiencing strong emotions after a traumatic event is common and can alleviate their guilt. Encourage a supportive and safe environment to foster trust.
- Distraction: Engage the child in activities that divert their attention from the traumatic event and reduce stress such as playing games, cooking, signing, drawing, and sports.
- Quick response: Create a safe haven for the child during panic attacks or flashbacks, practice breathing exercises and mindfulness, and address and eliminate triggers.
- Grounding techniques: Implement techniques to help the child calm down such as having them identify 5 things they see, 4 things they hear, 3 things they smell, 2 things they touch and 1 thing they taste.