Children come for pediatric care in doctor’s offices. So parents, doctors, and nurses need to know a variety of ways that can decrease child feelings of psychological distress, regardless of the urgency or gravity of diagnoses, and regardless of the possible success of medicines to decrease physical symptoms. Children also come to a school nurse with physical and/or emotional troubles. Professionals need a variety of tools to ease children’s fright, worry, tension, anger, or fear. Before choosing how to soothe and calm a child’s feelings of distress, professionals can decide more effectively what to suggest and how to provide comfort, for each child and parent, if they initially assess accurately some psychological aspects of the child’s development in addition to knowing a child’s medical record and needs.
Author(s): Ideas to Decrease Stress for Young Children Coming into the Office