Children Cope With Fears: Using

¶ … Children Cope With Fears: Using Children's Literature in Classroom Guidance

The article, "Helping Children Cope With Fears" discussed the many fears children deal with daily, including fears of death, crime and war, even at very young ages. The authors point is that fears such as these may be alleviated through the use of storytelling and through children's literature. More specifically, the author suggests that children's literature can help teach coping skills indirectly in a fun and non-threatening manner.

The main argument introduced by the authors are that coping skills can be used as part of counseling activities and education to help children overcome their fears, especially during "primary grade" years. The hidden message revealed in the article is increasing violence and reports of terrorist activities such as the events following 9/11 have left children feeling insecure and uncertain and parents and more importantly educators can play a strong role in reversing these fears through indirect approaches including reading.

The question the author attempts to answer is whether these methods really work to help children learn to cope better. The authors are somewhat biased because they are members of educational and counseling institutions that likely use the methods described in this article. One weakness pointed out in the article is that fear can result in diminished sleep and hence diminished interest in learning or storytelling among children. This however, only serves to further emphasize how important it is to make such activities enjoyable, fun and non-threatening for children. I agree with the authors views that stories read to children with the intent of assuaging their fears should be selected with great care, to ensure stories incorporate non-threatening language, humor and useful information. I also agree that this type of storytelling would prove useful for younger children who generally are more impressionable than older children.

Part II - Students Who Self-Injure: School Counselor Ethical and Legal Considerations

In this article the authors discuss students who self-injure, and the ethical and legal considerations school counselors must take into consideration when addressing this population. Most at risk according to the authors are students who are adolescents. The authors suggest early intervention and training of school counselors to recognize signs and symptoms of self-injury may lead to better response and action to protect children from harm.