How to help children cope with fear and anxiety around Alberta wildfires
Thousands of children are among those who have been evacuated from their homes or put on alert
Validation, affection, and restricted media access are all effective ways to help children cope with anxiety and fears around Alberta's intense wildfire season, experts say.
Thousands of children are among those who have been evacuated from their homes or placed on evacuation alert. Others are experiencing residual trauma from past disasters like the Fort McMurray fire in 2016.
"It's the smell of smoke for a lot of people that can remind everybody of what we went through in 2016," said Fort McMurray Catholic Schools superintendent Natasha MacArthur-Poole.
She said the trigger was particularly heightened two weeks ago when communities in the area faced evacuation alerts, and a small portion were forced out of their homes.
"That really increased people's anxiety, and it shows up in our schools with increased absences by staff and absences from our students," MacArthur-Poole said.
"If a student isn't feeling well and they're anxious ... you really need to identify those head on, talk about them."
It's advice echoed by parent coach and nurse Dyan Eybergen, who says it's important to validate the range of feelings that may come up for children.
"They could be experiencing sadness thinking that they are going to have to evacuate, and what will their home look like when they get back," Eybergen said.
"They might be worried about a pet — if we do have to leave, can we take our cats or our dogs or our rabbits with us?"
Eybergen advises parents to use language anchored in a sense of safety and security: "You know that mom and dad are still in control and you know that the province is going to let us know if we need to evacuate, and we will be safe."
Put limits on social media
With the barrage of graphic images in the news and on social media, Eybergen said it's also helpful to limit access, especially for younger children.
Judi Malone, psychologist and CEO of the Psychologists' Association of Alberta, says many parents are looking for information to help their children cope.
She said it's important to recognize that children might regress or demonstrate behaviours such as tantrums, withdrawing, struggles at school or fears around sleeping alone.
Malone recommends encouraging kids to talk about their feelings, and helping maintain a routine by eating, bathing and going to bed at regular times.
Malone also advises parents to allow kids to be dependent on them and spend more time together.
"That affection shows that there's someone there to take care of you," she said.
The association has activated the Disaster Response Network (DRN), which sees volunteer psychologists give free support sessions to Albertans experiencing distress due to the wildfires. People can access the program by calling 780-424-0294.
Grande Yellowhead Public School Division, which covers several communities west of Edmonton, closed schools in multiple areas this week in the face of heavy smoke and poor air quality.
MacArthur-Poole said when students do return, it's important to rally around those in need, with supports ranging from housing to clothing and school supplies.
At Fort McMurray Catholic Schools, the division has trained teachers on how to deal with mental distress in the classroom — employing ways to talk about it, breathing strategies and the services of counsellors when needed.
"I think our biggest learning from the [2016] fire is the importance of mental health, and really identifying that's an important piece that we need to ensure is OK for our students to be able to stay in the classroom and be able to learn appropriately," MacArthur-Poole said.
"We really want the opportunity to give back to all the communities, provinces, people across Canada that supported us and be able to share what we learned and help other communities that may have questions."