What we experienced has been devastating and traumatic. Support will be needed long after the water has receded. Our hope is to provide support in the coming weeks and months to meet our community’s needs. For now, we are offering the following support and process groups:

• Talking with Children about the Floods: An Online Webinar on Thursday, 7/10 at 9:30am 

  • This is an online webinar, that will be recorded, for parents and caregivers who are looking for support to talk with children about the floods that have impacted Central Texas. We will have tips, scripts, and will answer questions to help you feel prepared for these ongoing conversations. 

  • We are offering this webinar free of charge and encourage all who are able to donate to Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.

To register please complete the form here.

Yes! Mental health professionals across the state have come together to provide support. The linked document, coordinated by our colleagues at Safe Haven Counseling, has a list of therapists who have confirmed they work directly with children and families and have current openings.

The document linked above also includes free resources. We’ll also update this section as needed with additional resources as we learn about them. See below:

• Monday, July 7: Healing Circle from 6:00-8:00pm @ Children’s Bereavement Center in San Antonio. Children must be accompanied by an adult/caregiver

• Monday, July 7 at 10am and 4:30pm: Helping Kids Process Grief, A Conversation for Parents with Sissy Goff, LPC-MHSP. Signup at www.raisingboysandgirls.com

• Monday, 7/7 - 7/10 from 2:00-4:00pm at Austin DIY Studio (1721 w 35th Street). Free cards and bracelet making.

• Wednesday, 7/9 at 12:00pm: Helping Your Daughter Process Grief, Anxiety & Tragedy from Austin Therapy for Girls. Sign up here.

• Austin Child Guidance Center is offering 1-2 free sessions either virtually or in person for anyone who has been affected by the floods. Services available in Spanish and English.

There is not a clear yes or no here. This will vary greatly by family based on a child’s age and their connection to recent floods. We do recommend that you be extra mindful of where children are when you are watching/listening to the news or talking about the floods with other adults.

You might consider talking to your child about the floods if they have noticed that you have been more sad or having a hard time lately. We encourage you to consider sharing this with your child if you have a loved one who was impacted by the floods. We believe it is important to talk to your child about what happened if they are directly asking questions or making comments about what they have heard from friends/online. This tells us they know enough to be curious. The best people to share details about a tragic event is a trusted adult–you. If you truly feel incapable, seek additional support from a professional.

This will also vary greatly by family. In general, we recommend the following:

• Make sure that you are in an emotional state to share what has happened. It is okay for you to emote and share your feelings but it is important that it is done in a controlled way. We don’t want children to feel scared or worried about their caregivers.

• Be honest about facts and if you do not know the answer to a question. It is okay to say, “I don’t know.” Validate your child’s questions/concerns and assure them that you will let them know when you have an answer to their question. Then circle back when you do have the answer whether that is later that day or later that week. 

• Start by sharing basic information—in a developmentally appropriate way—and let your child’s questions guide the conversation. For younger children, you might say, “It has rained a lot lately. It has rained so much in some places that it has flooded. A flood happens when there is too much rain at once that it overflows.” For slightly older children, you might consider sharing the following sentences, too: “Sometimes there is so much water that it causes damage to parks and homes. There are many professionals and volunteers like firemen and park rangers who are helping to make sure everything and everyone is safe.”

• If you decide to tell your child about the deaths, use clear direct language not euphemisms. Avoid saying things like, “they are in a better place” and “they are no longer with us.” Instead try, “People died in the flood including our loved one. That means their heart stopped beating and we will no longer see them. We can remember them and talk about them whenever we want or need to.” 

• Normalize feelings. Let them know that it is okay to feel whatever they are feeling and that you might be feeling some of the same things too. You might consider saying, “when something like this happens we feel lots of feelings one at a time or all at once. Sometimes we might feel sad, mad, confused, or frustrated.” And, remind your child that it is important to talk about this as a way to take care of those feelings. You might add, “We’re here to listen to you no matter what you are feeling or what questions you have.”

• Reassure your child that they are safe. Let them know that we are not in imminent danger (if this is true) and remind your child that it is the adult’s job to keep them safe. This is a good opportunity to co-create or review your family’s safety plans (if it is developmentally appropriate to do so). 

• Provide comfort and safety. You can do this in the form of providing extra affection through cuddles and hugs for younger children. For your teens, consider being in the same space as them as they watch a show, read, or listen to music. 

We also recommend the following guides to help you decide if you would like to share this with your child and how to prepare for that conversation.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Tips for Talking to Children and Youth After Traumatic Events, a Guide

• Child Mind Institute: Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event, a Guide

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Traumatic Events, a flyer

In addition to the notes above, you can remind your child that camp is safe and that you trust that the adults there will also keep them safe. This was an isolated event that was not caused by camp, it was a result of heavy rain. 

However, if your child does not seem worried about this, you may not need to bring it up. We don’t want our worries to become your child’s worries.

Please consult a professional if your child is especially resistant and if you’re noticing an increase in worries and fears about this.

We are big fans of read alouds to help us start or follow up a difficult conversation. We’ve created two documents to help with this: Trauma resources and Death and Grief resources.

You may not know the answer to this just yet. Children can respond in many different ways. Normal responses after experiencing trauma include: disturbance in sleeping or eating, irritable, regressive behaviors, physical/somatic symptoms, change in affect, increased fears and worries, to name a few. 

If these behaviors persist or if they begin to interfere with your family’s daily life please consult a mental health professional.

We’re working on this. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to check again soon.