First, if you or your child is unsafe, call 911.

If your emergency is about mental health – please call Lifeline at 275-5151 or 911.

• Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for information and referral services in our community, as well as short-term telephone crisis counseling.

Mobile Crisis Team is a mobile psychiatric emergency department. Individuals/family can be seen by mental health professionals in their home, place of employment, school, etc. 275-5151.  There is a fee for their services.  Ask them if and how your health care plan can cover their services.

Monroe County Youth Yellow Pages offers resources, services, and support for youth locally. The Youth Yellow Pages is in its fifth printing and was recently updated by the Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau.

If you are a student and you need help in a crisis-

Center for Youth Services is a free, confidential counseling service, including a 24-hour crisis phone line for youth seeking help.

905 Monroe Avenue
Rochester, New York 14620
473-2464

If you are a parent who is concerned about your student’s’ behavior:

Family Access and Connection Team (FACT) serves as the centralized entry point which offers immediate response, effective triage, family assessment, short-term care coordination and linkage to support and services for families experiencing significant behavioral and emotional challenges with their children without court intervention.

753-2639

When there is a major news event, your child will very likely hear about it when they go to school the next day – inform your child of the basic fact of the event before they go to school – before they hear other versions from other children. Do not share graphic detail or elaborations.

• Encourage your children to talk, if they wish, and listen to their concerns.
• Answer questions truthfully and at a level appropriate to your child’s level of understanding.  It is okay not to have an answer to “why it happened”.
• Make sure your child knows that they are safe, but do not give false reassurance.
• Limit exposure to media, conversations or upsetting details about the event
• Do not share your own fears in your child’s presence.
• Check in with them again when they get home to clarify misunderstandings or rumors and answer questions.
• Check with your child’s school on how they are handling the news event and what support they are providing students. Your child’s school may put something in place with their counseling staff or they may have contacted another agency in the community to assist them.
• Familiarize yourself with the school emergency plan.
• Have a family emergency plan and practice it with your children.
• Reactions such as increased fearfulness, nightmares, or separation anxiety are not unusual and generally go away with basic support. If your child continues to show emotional or behavioral changes, contact your child’s primary care provider or a mental health professional who is experienced in helping children cope with traumatic events.

• Reassure them that they are safe and that there is no danger at their school, and that the event is over.
• Alert their teacher and/or counselor that they are fearful
• Remember – your children take their cues from you – be calm and reassuring.

Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for information and referral services in our community, as well as short-term telephone crisis counseling.

1. Recognize your own feelings about the situation and talk to others about your fears.  Know that these feelings are a normal response to an abnormal situation.
2. Be willing to listen to family and friends who have been affected and encourage them to seek counseling if necessary.
3. Be patient with people; fuses are short when dealing with crises and others may be feeling as much stress as you.
4. Recognize normal crises reactions, such as sleep disturbances and nightmares, withdrawal, reverting to childhood behaviors, and trouble focusing on work or school.
5. Take time with your children, spouse, life partner, friends, and co-workers to do something you enjoy.

Student Services does not endorse any organizations or individuals outside of the Fairport Central School District. These resources are for informational purposes and should be pursued based on the consumer’s own criteria.