What can we do to help the children?

There are different ways of therapy to help the children cope up with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It includes:

-         Behavioral Therapy

-         Cognitive Therapy

-         Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT)

 Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral therapy helps weaken the connection between troublesome situations and the patient�s habitual reactions to them. It teaches the patients how to calm their mind and body, so they can feel better, think more clearly, and make better decisions (Bush).

 Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive Therapy teaches the patients how certain thinking patterns are causing their symptoms � by giving them a distorted picture of what�s going on in their life. This can aggregate the bad emotions the patients are feeling. This can help the psychiatrist or psychologist to analyze more of the problem to suggest a better solution.

 A combination of both therapies has been clinically and research proven to be effective in treating PTSD.

 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy         

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is an active therapy. CBT approach to children generally includes the child directly discussing the traumatic event, anxiety management techniques like relaxation and assertiveness training, and correction of inaccurate or distorted trauma related thoughts. CBT also involves challenging children�s false beliefs such as, �the world is totally unsafe� (Hamblen).

CBT is often accompanied by:

-         Formal and informal educational approaches like psychotherapy and play therapy.

-         Parents and school teachers� involvement.

Education is vital in a child�s development. Both formal and informal educational opportunities are methods to affirm the normalcy and value of each child�s reactions, concerns, ways of coping, and goals for the future.

General subjects such as math, science, history, and reading are necessary to guide the educational progression of children. These subjects will give them direction on what kind of field they want to extend their learning. The uncertainty of the future may discourage them to get a higher education, but at least, teachers and/or therapist will encourage them to learn more new and exciting things that are waiting for them inside the school.

Beside the general subjects, arts and physical education must be offered to the children.  Drawing, indoor and outdoor games are the techniques included in play therapy to diverge the children from anxiety, loneliness, and uncertainty of the future.

-Advice parents and teachers not to talk about the calamity.

Parents and teachers should be asked not to mention anything related to the Tsunami or the lost of loved ones to reduce the children�s emotional anxiety. They have the tendency to tell the children that the world is unsafe and that there is no future for them because of what they have seen in their current situation, poverty. In effect, children will not be able to focus with their studies and may not be able to finish higher level education. If those future leaders do not have proper education and will still be suffering from PTSD, their countries will have difficulty to stand up on its own and improve its economic situation.