7am News, Sports and Obits
Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
Kids Facing Traumatic Events Need Immediate Help
One grief therapist says there's no buffer zone in reaching kids who witness traumatizing events or suffer through the death of a loved one.

Doug Gibb is the Children's Grief Camp Director, which provides counseling to children over nine counties from the age of 5 to 18 during traumatic situations.

He tells WGIL grief counseling for children is an immediate need during these often depressing times for young people.

"When counseling kids in traumatic situations, we have to be able to get to them soon," Gibb said. "One of the things with traumatic situations and crisis intervention counseling, seeing kids months later is way past the time for what we need to be doing. A lot of them have already developed coping mechanisms or skills that aren't always the best healthy ways."

Gibb says since the June 30th Kiwanis Park shooting, his office has unfortunately received no referrals.

He says there are many ways for families and teachers alike to combat unhealthy coping mechanisms in children by recognizing behavioral changes.

These include watching sleeping patterns, eating habits, and social behaviors.
10 08 11 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.