I am a clinical psychologist and researcher with a focus on children, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Here are some things to keep in mind As the community begins to grapple with the horror and tragedy of the Bondi shootings on Sunday, children will probably have questions. Parents may also be wondering how to talk to their young kids and teenagers about what happened. I am a clinical psychologist and researcher with a focus on children, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Here are some things to keep in mind when talking to children about the tragedy in Bondi (though many of these apply to any bad thing happening in the world). Some bad men used guns to shoot some people near the beach in Sydney. The police and doctors are helping the people who were hurt and the men who did the shooting have been taken away so they can’t hurt anyone else. Two men went to Bondi beach in Sydney and shot at people who were celebrating a religious festival. One of the shooters was killed and the other is under police guard. Some people were killed and some more were badly hurt. They are in hospital where medical staff are working as hard as they can to make sure they are OK. The police are also working really hard to understand why and how this happened and to try to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Two men went to a Jewish religious celebration at Bondi beach in Sydney and shot guns at the crowds of people there. Sixteen people have been killed and more people have been injured and are in hospital. One of the shooters has been killed and the other one is under police guard. The police and security agencies are investigating why and how this happened. There’s also a political debate now about gun control in Australia. Continue reading...