The Reality of PTSD When Children Die, details the emotional toll of the death of a child as faced by veteran Fire Captain and Arson Investigator Patrick Wills. On a cold December night in 2007 in Los Angeles County, three young sisters died while sleeping inside of an illegal garage residence that caught fire. The location of the fire identified the wide-spread problem of the lack of safe and affordable housing in California and America. Captain Wills, places the reader inside the illegal residence before, during, and after the fire is discovered. He shares the emotional impact faced by public safety dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement who responded that night. Join Captain Wills as he details the complex fire and death investigation procedures. The investigation will explain the struggle faced by the survivor of the fire and family members. Anyone exposed to the death of a child, will understands the emotional impact of this experience. Imagine being exposed to the death of multiple children at the same time. As emergency professionals, first responders are expected to hide their emotions and deal with these tragic situations, sometimes daily. How do they learn to cope, and move on after witnessing the results of such a tragic event? Captain/Investigator Patrick Wills is a veteran of the fire service and law enforcement with over 45 years of public safety experience in Los Angeles County and southern California.

The children's issues picture book Why Is Dad So Mad? is a story for children in military families whose father battles with combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After a decade fighting wars on two fronts, tens of thousands of service members are coming home having trouble adjusting to civilian life; this includes struggling as parents. Why Is Dad So Mad? Is a narrative story told from a family's point of view (mother and children) of a service member who struggles with PTSD and its symptoms. Many service members deal with anger, forgetfulness, sleepless nights, and nightmares.This book explains these and how they affect Dad. The moral of the story is that even though Dad gets angry and yells, he still loves his family more than anything.

Originally published by Viking Penguin, 2014.

The death of a child is a special sorrow. No matter the circumstances, a child's death is a life-altering experience. Except for the child who dies suddenly and without forewarning, physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel usually play a central role in the lives of children who die and their families. At best, these professionals will exemplify "medicine with a heart." At worst, families' encounters with the health care system will leave them with enduring painful memories, anger, and regrets. When Children Die examines what we know about the needs of these children and their families, the extent to which such needs areâ€"and are notâ€"being met, and what can be done to provide more competent, compassionate, and consistent care. The book offers recommendations for involving child patients in treatment decisions, communicating with parents, strengthening the organization and delivery of services, developing support programs for bereaved families, improving public and private insurance, training health professionals, and more. It argues that taking these steps will improve the care of children who survive as well as those who do notâ€"and will likewise help all families who suffer with their seriously ill or injured child. Featuring illustrative case histories, the book discusses patterns of childhood death and explores the basic elements of physical, emotional, spiritual, and practical care for children and families experiencing a child's life-threatening illness or injury.

This book describes a range of effective ways to help children and families cope with major traumatic experiences such as community violence, war, and terrorist attacks. Detailed case examples bring to life the complexities of assessment and intervention with children of different ages and cultural backgrounds, including both survivors of one-time traumatic events and those dealing with ongoing stressors like the military deployment of a parent. Expert contributors provide guidelines for setting up and running school- and clinic-based support groups; conducting brief and longer-term interventions with individuals and families; and promoting healing with art, music, and play. Grounded in the latest knowledge on stress and coping, bereavement, attachment, and risk and resilience, and including much-needed tips for therapist self-care, this is an essential clinical resource and text.

A guide to hope and healing after the death of a child, from a grief counselor and psychotherapist who has been there. Nisha Zenoff lost her son in a tragic accident when he was just seventeen years old. Now, with decades of experience as a grief counselor and psychotherapist, she offers support and guidance from her own journey and from others who have experienced the death of a child. The Unspeakable Loss helps those who mourn to face the urgent questions that accompany loss: "Will my tears ever stop?" "Who am I now without my child?" "How can I help my other children cope?" "I lost my only child, how do I live?" "Will my marriage survive?" "Will life ever feel worth living again?" No matter where you are in your grieving process, The Unspeakable Loss provides a space to mourn in your own way, and helps you understand how the death of a child affects siblings, other family members and friends, recognizing that we each grieve differently. And while there is no one prescription for healing, Zenoff provides tools to practice the important aspects of grieving that are easily forgotten -- self-compassion and self-care. The Unspeakable Loss doesn't flinch from the reality or pain caused by the death of a child, yet ultimately it is a book about the choice to embrace life, love, and joy again. As Zenoff writes in the Preface: "Our relationships with our children do not end with their deaths. Our relationships change, they're transformed, but our children will always be with us."

For a parent, there are few things more frightening than the thought of one's child or a close family member becoming the victim of trauma. How do I help them cope? Can I help them cope? What if I'm not even able to cope myself? These are some of the automatic responses that could flash through a parent's mind at the prospect of having to deal with an unexpected, painful or traumatic experience, or with the fear or threat of such trauma becoming a reality. These experiences can be damaging and life-changing on many levels, and in many societies they have indeed become an everyday reality. The chapters in How Children Experience Trauma And How Parents Can Help Them Cope address a number of different types of trauma and they offer sound and tested advice on each one. Among others, they deal with trauma related to crime, to accidents, untimely death and devastating loss. They cover peer group and relationship issues, including bullying and abuse, and each one presents a number of illustrative case studies to help parents relate to and understand what they and their children might be experiencing internally. The authors explain some typical emotional and physiological reactions that may arise during, immediately after and some time after the trauma. They provide parents and caregivers with the theoretical as well as some practical tools to guide their children (and themselves) towards recovery and healing. All trauma, although accompanied by loss - often terrifying and terrible loss - gives us an opportunity to put life into perspective, encourages us to evaluate relationships and possibly to shed that which is toxic or unhelpful and to retain that which is healthy. By presenting the theory and examining the therapeutic options available, Meg Fargher and Helen Dooley draw on their extensive training and experience in this field to help parents and children access the resilience that is part of every human being, allowing them to heal and move on - different but potentially stronger.