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Being aware of your own stress and using coping strategies will help you stay well, and allow you to keep helping others. This pocket card offers some tips for volunteers and behavioral health professionals to keep in mind as they respond to emergency situations.
Southern Border Resources to Address Immediate NeedsCompiled by the MHTTC Network, this list of resources to support the mental health of asylum seekers, primarily unaccompanied minors, on our Southern Border, includes those developed by the MHTTCs and other reputable organizations. The list is sorted alphabetically by title within the following categories: Cultural Responsiveness, Psychological First Aid, Staff Burnout and Secondary Trauma, Suicide Prevention, and Trauma Informed Care.
Children who have been exposed to trauma can experience learning difficulties, regression in development (e.g., bed-wetting, speech), sleep disruption, clinginess, or may break rules and push boundaries. This pocket card offers some tips to keep in mind as volunteers and behavioral health professionals engage with youth seeking asylum.
Southern Border Resource Pocket Card for ChildrenThis resource provides a prompt for children at the border to remember that their feelings are normal. The other side of the pocket card contains a brief breathing exercise that children can do to help promote calmness and encouraging relaxation.
This a list of activities to help children in these facilities. These activities can be done with staff and children, or independently by the children. They are activities that promote calmness, reflection, and mindfulness. These activities strive to help children identify, understand, and normalize some of the feelings they might have. Other activities strive to help the children manage their emotions, as well as identify their values.
Southern Border Resource Pocket Card for StaffThis resource provides staff with tools to understand their positive impact; help them identify their stressors; and give them ideas and tools for self-care.
This is an expansion of the Southern Border Staff-Facing Pocket Card. This is a deeper dive into the strengths, stressors, and opportunities of the bilingual and translator staff serving these facilities.
“Let’s pretend we’re blowing up a giant balloon. We’ll take a deep breath and blow it up to the count of 5.” / “Let’s breathe together.” |
"Vamos a pretender que estamos inflando un globo gigante. Respiraremos hondo y lo explotaremos cuando terminemos de contar hasta el número cinco ". / "Vamos a comenzar, respiremos juntos".
“This feeling will pass.” | "Este sentimiento pasará".
“This is so hard.” | "Esto es muy difícil".
“I care about you, and want to help you” | "Me preocupo por ti y quiero ayudarte"
“You are so brave!” | "¡Eres muy valiente!"
“Let’s write a new story.” | "Escribamos una nueva historia".
“Let’s stretch together.” | "Estirémonos juntos".
(incorporate stretch/yoga resource for anxious kids/incorpore recursos de estiramiento y/o yoga para niños ansiosos)
“I get scared too.” | "Yo también me asusto".
“You are loved.” | "Eres amado".
“This is not your fault” | "Esto no es culpa tuya"