After their parent’s suicide, children often have difficulty talking openly about suicide. Although research supports bibliotherapy as a strategy to increase understanding and communication about death, no bibliotherapy studies specifically address parental suicide. We gave a focus group of five paraprofessionals 15 children’s picture books addressing grief, parental suicide, and
emotional expression. We asked their opinions about which storybooks facilitate children’s communication about death, specifically a parent’s suicide. Paraprofessionals emphasized individualizing treatment to fit the child’s specific circumstances, recommending the books that honestly portray suicide, show a way forward, provide hope, and assure children that they are not alone. Of the provided books, the most highly recommend were Bart Speaks Out: Breaking the Silence on Suicide and After a Suicide Death: A Workbook for Grieving Kids.

Children often have difficulty talking openly about a parent’s suicide. Bibliotherapy can help, but no bibliotherapy studies address parental suicide. We gave a focus group (5 paraprofessionals) 15 children’s books addressing grief, parental suicide, and emotional expression, asking them which books were most helpful. They emphasized individualizing treatment to fit the child, recommending the books that honestly portrayed suicide, showed a way forward, provided hope, and assured children that they are not alone. The most highly recommend books were Bart Speaks Out: Breaking the Silence on Suicide and After a Suicide Death: A Workbook for Grieving Kids.

Currently, the vast majority of schools’ crisis handouts are only available in English, with isolated districts offering a few handouts that are translated into other languages. By preparing translations of a basic educational handout for non-English speaking parents, the main objective of our project was to increase cultural sensitivity in school-based crisis intervention. A basic handout was designed to become part of school-based crisis intervention materials, expanding schools’ ability to communicate with non-English speaking parents and to more effectively support children’s mental health needs. Following a natural disaster these efforts would assist in stabilizing schools, families, and impacted communities. Tapping into Brigham Young University students’ cultural and linguistic skills, translations of a brief crisis intervention handout would provide NES parents with basic information regarding how to support children’s emotional needs following a natural disaster.

Video clips (2 minutes or less in length) are summarized to demosntrate examples of socail skills for young children.

Literacy coaching, an effective professional development strategy for early childhood teachers, is a respected component in educational reform initiatives. This qualitative case study explored and described interactive processes between literacy coaches and Kindergarten teachers. In particular, this study focused on how established kindergarten teachers in four, diverse, rural impoverished schools in the southeastern United States exhibited initial resistance to literacy coaching. The data suggested that although relationship-focused strategies were important for all teachers, these strategies were essential for low-implementing, initially resistant teachers. Additionally, teachers who were low-implementing, initially resistant required intensive strategies to address cross-cultural challenges and to leverage principal’s support in positive ways. Although building relationships required trust, improving teaching skills required navigating resistance and bridging differences between the coach and teacher.

Historically, disaster response efforts have focused primarily on basic physical survival and safety—addressing medical emergencies and ensuring adequate shelter and supplies of food and water. However, in addition to physical survival, relief efforts must also consider strategies to promote emotional healing and psychological well-being. In particular, those who intervene must consider the acceptability of intervention strategies, taking into account survivors’ cultural background, religious customs, and spiritual beliefs. This article offers recommendations to better align school-based therapeutic interventions with children’s religious and spiritual beliefs.

Over 350 languages are spoken in the United States, and over 7,000 known languages are spoken around the world. Considering such linguistic diversity, effectively communicating within and across nations and communities is challenging. This chapter includes several issues to consider when translating and distributing mental health assessment instruments and surveys, gathering and interpreting data from translated instruments, and using the data to change policy and practice. Ultimately, data should inform policy and assist communities/countries in monitoring and tracking progress on mental health issues. A list of resources identifies several critical issues that help inform translation practice across cultures and languages.

Children who experience a parent’s suicide are vulnerable to an increased risk for mental health disorders and suicide attempts. In this study, 17 adults, each a child survivor of their parent’s suicide, shared their perceptions of support following the suicide. Helpful experiences included opening communication about suicide and offering individualized support. Unhelpful experiences included judgment and blame, silence regarding suicide, and a heightened awareness of the surviving parent’s challenges. Individuals most helpful in meeting the child’s needs included those with pre-existing relationships. In particular, our findings emphasizes the critical need for honest, open, and age-appropriate communication about the parent’s suicide.

Children who experience a parent’s suicide are vulnerable to an increased risk for mental health disorders and suicide attempts. In this study, 17 adults, each a child survivor of their parent’s suicide, shared their perceptions of support following the suicide. Helpful experiences included opening communication about suicide and offering individualized support. Unhelpful experiences included judgment and blame, silence regarding suicide, and a heightened awareness of the surviving parent’s challenges. Individuals most helpful in meeting the child’s needs included those with preexisting relationships. In particular, our findings emphasize the critical need for honest, open, and age-appropriate communication about the parent’s suicide.