Helping Children Cope After the Texas Hill Country Flood: Support from a Child Life Specialist

In partnership with Eluna Network, Faith Presbyterian Hospice held it’s annual grief camp for children and families, Camp Erin, just a few weeks ago in Central Texas. After that experience and watching the flooding tragedy unfold these past several days in the Texas Hill Country, we recognize that a lot of families are working through big emotions and feel called to try to help. Even if your child wasn’t directly affected, they might still feel anxious or unsettled by what they’ve seen or heard. Knowing how to talk with them in a calm, honest way can make all the difference.

Tierney Titus, a Child Life Specialist with Faith Presbyterian Hospice, put together a helpful two-part video series for parents and caregivers. In the first video, she shares practical ways to help kids feel safe, ask questions and make sense of what’s happened. The second video builds on that guidance and shows how to ease anxiety and support kids as they begin to heal.

If your child is feeling overwhelmed or unsure right now, these videos offer simple, thoughtful ways to help them feel heard and supported. You can watch both videos and explore more resources below:

videos by Sarah Macias

• Eluna Network – Disaster Resource Hub – Camp Erin https://tinyurl.com/ElunaDisaster
• Bo’s Place – Houston, TX https://bosplace.org/en/
• Lucine Center – virtually serves children across Texas https://lucinecenter.com/
• The Warm Place – Fort Worth, TX https://www.thewarmplace.org/
• Child Life Disaster Relief – @childlifedisasterrelief – Instagram account and website dedicated to supporting children through disasters – provides helpful documents/guides to talking with children https://cldisasterrelief.org/resources/child-development/
• The Dougy Center – https://www.dougy.org/resources/cause-of-death/mass-tragedies

by Wendy Van Bemmel