Parents across South Yorkshire urged to stay calm whilst discussing the Ukraine crisis with children
The Director of Yorkshire Psychotherapy has been speaking to us about how we can reassure younger people on the matter
There's a call for parents across South Yorkshire to stay calm whilst discussing recent events in Ukraine with young children.
The situation in Eastern Europe involving Russia has left many people feeling more anxious than usual.
Heather Howard-Thompson works as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist in Barnsley and is also the Director of Yorkshire Psychotherapy.
She has this advice for any adults who may feel unsure about when to bring up the topic:
"Try to avoid discussing this subject before bedtime, when they might be likely to lay there and start worrying about it.
"Kids obviously pick things up from us, so they'll benefit from seeing you calm and grounded.
"If we're anxious, it can rub off on the kids, so it's good to make sure that we've got the right information so that we don't spiral and get too apprehensive about the situation ourselves."
We've also been speaking to her about the different ways in which young children may feel comfortable in expressing their emotions:
"Children will want to come to you and tell you when they feel like it rather than you necessarily asking them, as this can make them shut down.
"You could get a jar with bits of paper in, like a worry jar.
"So then, if they've got anything they're worried about, they can write their thoughts down in that and bring it to you when they're ready to talk about it further.
"That's a pretty useful method for kids, particularly children in primary school."