Counseling Children After Natural Disasters: Guidance for Family Therapists

After natural disasters, most children exhibit typical symptoms, which can be mitigated when parents and teachers provide emotional support and facilitate adaptive coping strategies. However, some children may experience clinical symptoms, which require professional counseling. This article guides family therapists in (a) identifying children's typical and clinical symptoms after a natural disaster, (b) training parents and teachers in basic interventions, and (c) implementing developmentally appropriate clinical interventions that integrate play. A multimodal, three-phase approach of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Play Therapy, and Family Play Therapy is described.