Sesame Street PDF - National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Talk, Listen, Connect:
Helping Military Children
Through Challenging Transitions
www.sesamestreet.org/tlc
Lynn Chwatsky
[email protected]
What is Talk, Listen, Connect?
•
Talk, Listen, Connect (TLC), a bilingual (English/Spanish) outreach initiative
providing multimedia tools to build resilience in military families with young
children coping with challenging transitions.
•
Content areas:
Deployments &
Homecomings
Changes:
Coping with
Injuries
Grief:
The Death of a
Parent
Talk, Listen, Connect:
Helping Families During Military Deployment
•
•
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Deliverables:
– 500,000 Bilingual multi-media Outreach Kit
• DVD
• Print resources for adults and children
• Online at www.sesamestreet.org/tlc
– Emmy-nominated Primetime TV special:
When Parents Are Deployed
Distribution: Military OneSource, New York State Office
of Mental Health, Military Child Education Coalition
Assessment
– helped parents and kids feel better during
deployment
– reduced parents’ sense of anxiety or depression
– contributed to fewer negative behaviors in children
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Talk, Listen, Connect:
Helping Families During Military Deployment
Personal Stories:
“I just wanted to say THANK YOU!!! This DVD came at the
perfect time, as we prepare for the deployment of my
Husband, and Elmo is our 3-year-old’s favorite!
I ordered a bunch and gave them out to the soldiers for their
children.”
“I am a Navy spouse and the mother of a 3-year-old little girl
who has watched her daddy leave for deployments…[and]
now she is old enough to start asking questions. You have no
idea what a relief [TLC] is and has been for those parents
who aren't sure how to explain a deployment to a toddler.”
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Talk, Listen, Connect:
Deployments, Homecomings, Changes
•
Deliverables:
– 1,000,000 bilingual, multi-media outreach kits
• 2 DVDs
• Print resources for adults and children
• Postcards to stay connected
• Online at www.sesamestreet.org/tlc
•
Distribution
– Worldwide through DoD and VA systems, New York State Office
of Mental Health, Military Child Education Coalition
•
Assessment
– Materials made caregivers more comfortable helping their
child cope with a parent’s injury and gave them different
tools and strategies for coping.
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Talk, Listen, Connect:
Deployments, Homecomings, Changes
• Personal Stories:
“We had a triple-amputee come in recently who had
not seen his 3 yr. old daughter since his injury and
was afraid how she would react. I gave him the TLC
kit and explained the materials to him. He was so
happy that he started to cry with joy. He asked me
to say thank you to you, Sesame Street, as it was
going to help with his reunion with his daughter. It
was a very emotional moment. Thank you so much.”
“ The group of children expressed that although parts of the
video made them cry or be sad, they were "grateful" and
"thankful" that the parents came back to their families (even
though they were injured). The children said that they know
that even if their dad is hurt, "he's still Dad and we love him
and he loves us." They say, "It's just hard sometimes."
Family Readiness Group Leader”
TLC – Parental Changes
• The meaning of the injury to the child
• Child’s developmental limitations of
understanding
• Time of parental distraction and preoccupation
with injury
• Child must modify the internal image of his
injured parent
• Explore new mutually directed activities and play
(transitional space) that allows parent and child
to “try on” new ways of relating
Stephen J. Cozza, M.D.
TLC – Parental Changes
Stephen J. Cozza, M.D.
C
H
I
L
D
Injury Recovery Trajectory
Change in parent/family
Not an event, but a process
fear of loss of parent
S
T
R
E
S
S
change in parenting ability
Change in home/community
separation
Fear of parental
death from non-injured parent
Separation anxiety
hospital visits
move from
community
Health facility exposure
L
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V
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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Stephen J. Cozza, M.D.
T I M E (months)
TLC – Parental Changes
• Sesame Muppet story
– Parental co-viewing
– Rosita, Ricardo and Rosa’s story
• Changes that lead to sadness/disappointment
– Rosita – “He has needed ‘that THING!”
– Rosita – “Kick it to me Papi!”
– Emotional tone – anger/frustration/disappointment
– Accepting the disappointment
• Ricardo’s and Rosa’s patience
• Modeling parental willingness to listen and accept
Stephen J. Cozza, M.D.
TLC – Parental Changes
• Sesame Muppet story
– Papi – “You can touch it if you want”
– Papi – “Papi’s legs can’t kick any more, but I can
throw.”
– Traumatic losses, Rosita - “when I remember it
makes it hurt all over again.”
– Finding solutions – finding new ways
• Papi – “come Rosita, dance with me.”
• Change can also make you stronger
• Real family vignettes
– Showing parents and children with wheelchairs,
amputations, prostheses
Stephen J. Cozza, M.D.
TLC - Invisible Injuries
• Unique challenges to children
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–
–
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Lack of understanding – no observable answers
Cognitive distortions (e.g. ego centric explanations)
Parental irritability and reactivity
Change in parental personality/avoidance/withdrawal
• Importance of effective injury communication
– Reality based understanding of the
injury/consequences
• Sesame TLC real family vignettes
– Support sense of family success
– “You have to be proud of your parents”
– Queen Latifah television special
Stephen J. Cozza, M.D.
TLC: Traumatic Grief
Judith A. Cohen, M.D.
Medical Director
Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents
Allegheny General Hospital
Drexel University College of Medicine
Pittsburgh, PA
Death
• Was difficult topic for many
• Helping SW to say “death” not “lost” or
“passed”—trying to soften it is confusing to
young children
• Some circumstances death is a relief—injury,
abuse
• Universality—many Advisory Board members
• NCTSN—2nd commonest child trauma
Traumatic Grief
• Difference between traumatic death—all
families—and traumatic grief—only some
• Jessie’s reactions: at first SW wanted the hat
to be a happy reminder
• Needed to work through trauma reminders so
at first the hat was a trauma reminder—it was
hard, she didn’t want to talk about it
Traumatic Grief 2
• Sesame and many adults wanted her to jump
up after talking and feel better
• Not so easy—can’t always just make it better
• Traumatic grief is a struggle, takes time, she
had to work through that pain
• Family supported her and listened to her
• Over time she could tolerate trauma
reminders
What Video Didn’t Talk About
• Different types of deaths—suicides,
homicides, other stigmatized deaths
• Would it be invalidating to not address these?
• Can only do certain things in video
• These are addressed in documentaries and
written materials
• Documentaries complete and expand on the
Muppet stories
Summary
• The term “traumatic grief” was not engaging
to military families
• But through the universality of the Muppets
we were able to engage families in the
concept of traumatic grieving
• Parents and uncle reassure children and
modeled adaptive responses to grief
• Sesame opened doors, hearts to
understanding children’s grief
Partnerships
Barbara Thompson
Director, Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth
Secretary
(Military Community and Family Policy)
Who We Serve
Military Demographics
A Young, Married Force with Children
• 67% of the AD Force and 51% of the Reserves are 30 years of age or
younger
• 56% of the AD Force are married; 49% of Reserve personnel are married
• Active Duty: 1.2M dependent children: 42% are 5 years old or younger
• Reserves: 735K dependent children; 27% are 5 years old or younger
Active Duty: 1.41M Service Members/ 1.95M Family Members
Reserves: 854K Service Members/1.15M Family Members
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•Note: The term Reserve refers to both the Reserve and National Guard.
•Data from 2009 Profile of Military Communities Demographic Report
Military Lifestyle Challenges
• Multiple Deployments:
Managing competing demands of
family life and military life in
the face of high operational
tempo
• Difficulty navigating systems of
care and support
• National shortage of highquality, affordable child care
• Barriers to educational and career
opportunities for spouses
• Ongoing disruption to
dependents’ education
• Access to adequate services for
exceptional family members
• Dealing with financial decisions
in a time of economic uncertainty
• Geographically dispersed Service
members and families
• Frequent relocation
• Emotional, psychological,
financial and physical challenges
associated with injury, loss.
Our challenge: Reaching families to offer assistance and resources
specifically designed to help minimize stress and build resilience.
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Sesame Impact
• Experts reached out to the Department of Defense
to share their expertise to support military families
• Respected military culture and took great strides to
include military subject matter experts as advisors
• Demonstrated flexibility with product lines
– Website
– Road Shows
– Sesame Rooms
NCTSN and Sesame Workshop’s
Talk, Listen, Connect Webinar
www.MilitaryChild.org
About
the Military Child Education Coalition
Vision:
To serve as a model of positive leadership and advocacy for
ensuring quality educational opportunities for all military children
affected by mobility, family separation, and transition.
Mission:
To ensure quality educational experiences for all military children
Military Child Education Coalition
909 Mountain Lion Circle
Harker Heights, Texas 76548
(254) 953-1923
www.MilitaryChild.org
Combined Federal Campaign approved organization, #10261
www.MilitaryChild.org
Guiding Principles of the
Living in the New Normal
Recognize and encourage the courage of children
Acknowledge the positive attributes of military
children
Promote an environment of resilience
Understand that children grieve
Non-victimization of grievers
Respect cultural traditions, belief systems, privacy
www.MilitaryChild.org
Delivery of the Living in the New Normal
System
Professional Development
•LINN Institute (12 contact hours over two days)
•LINN Practicum (6 contact hours over one day)
Resources
•Resource List
•Website Listings
Public Engagement -- Community Training
Sessions
•A structured and facilitated forum
•To coordinate and sustain services
www.MilitaryChild.org