Watertown Teachers Get Tips for Dealing with Students After the Mayhem in Town

Two psychiatrists who study and work with children refugees volunteered their time to give advice to Watertown's teachers following the mayhem of the shootouts and explosions in town last week.

Human brains have natural responses to threats - fight, flight or freezing until a threat goes away, said Heidi Ellis, the director of the Center for Refugee, Trauma and Resilience at Boston Children's Hospital during the meeting at Watertown High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Responses may return after a traumatic event, such as the chaos caused by the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects last Thursday and Friday in Watertown. Not everyone reacts the same way, however, said Molly Benson, a clinical psychologist with the Children's Hospital's refugee center.

Some may be fearful, some will have trouble sleeping and younger children may act out or draw what happened to them, Benson said. Stomach and headaches may be seen, too. 

"Aggressive or restless behavior may be seen," Benson said. "What's confusing is sometimes these kids act like this out of the blue."

Adolescents may feel detached or change their peer groups, Benson said, and parents should watch for them drinking alcohol or using drugs.

The best way to help them get back to normal is provide a safe and caring environment. 

"It is particularly important after traumatic events to establish a sense of safety," Benson said.

Parents should do their best to limit their children's exposure to reminders of the event, such as media coverage.

"With older children, see how much they are reliving the event by going on the Internet," Benson said.

Most children should return to normal relatively quickly, Ellis said. It may take longer for those who have been through previous traumatic events, either at home or if they came from another area of the world where it is more common.

If children continue to act out and be out of sorts after four weeks, Ellis said, teachers should consider referring them for evaluation and services to help them. 

More information is available at The National Child Traumatic Stress Network's Website, www.nctsn.org.

Ellis and Benson will be back in Watertown on Friday morning to talk to parents. They will be at the Hosmer School for a meeting just after drop off time, at around 8:45 a.m., said Assistant Superintendent Dari Donovan.

See all of Patch's coverage of the Boston Marathon Bombing and Manhunt here.