How to talk to adolescents affected by Dana? How to support them?
A situation as complex as the one experienced in Valencia requires specialized support, depending on how each person has been affected. In our profession as coaches, we know that certain traumatic circumstances should only be addressed by health professionals, such as psychologists.
However, there are other situations where coaches can contribute ideas, approaches, or resources that families can use to navigate conversations about the circumstances they are facing.
In the face of such a terrible loss, like the one so many families have endured, the normal reaction is denial, anger, fear, frustration, or sadness.
To cope with these inevitable emotions, it is important to create spaces for emotional release, allowing each person to express their feelings without being judged for feeling differently from others.
Parents play a crucial role by providing space for these conversations. At the same time, this should not become the only topic of discussion—it helps to find moments where everyone can express themselves freely and then return to their daily activities or other topics of interest.
It is also important for parents to be aware of how they are experiencing the situation privately because their children will pick up more on how they feel and react than on what they tell them to feel. Children mirror what they perceive in adults. That is why, in order to take care of their children, adults must also take care of themselves.
Adults need to allow themselves moments for emotional release and ask for help. If they do not seek help, they do not set the right example for young people to feel comfortable receiving support.
Finding Something Amidst So Much Loss
When those more negative emotions begin to lose intensity, it can be a good time to start talking about what, despite the loss, has remained what they still have.
Sadness connects us with our core values, which is why people say, "You don’t appreciate something until you lose it." This can also be an opportunity to talk with children about the values that loss brings to light—the things we often take for granted, such as family, the bonds that unite us, neighborhood solidarity, and mutual support.
Desahogo, vínculos y valores… de esta forma sentiremos cómo de toda esta difícil situación, los más jóvenes pueden sacar también un aprendizaje positivo que les pueda fortalecer el resto de sus vidas.
