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Rick Saldan is an excellent
inspirational speaker who tailored the seminar to the needs of the
individual students being instructed. This office thanks the Mayors Office
of Information Services for having such a vendor.
Timothy K. Lynch
Office of Fleet Management
City of Philadelphia
Rick has a magical approach that provides a clear and
concise message specifically designed to the needs of his
audience. Rick will provide all the motivational magic you
will ever need, propelling your organization to the next
level of greater success.
Thomas Mulhern
Frontier Communications
Rick Saldan is a compelling and absorbing motivational speaker and
magician.I have been to five of his
Motivational Magic presentations and it is amazing how he keeps our
college audiences on the edge of their seats.
A highly entertaining performer with great comedy flair. Rich content to
increase students' productivity, peak performance and motivation. If you
need an outstanding motivational speaker for colleges, Rick is definitely
one of the world's greatest speakers and magicians!
Dr. Rob Gilbert, Sport Psychologist,
Montclair State University
Rick Saldan has the wit, wisdom and sorcery of a wizard. He
has a dynamic personality, and all will enjoy his
captivating stories, comedy and magic!
Dennis Slaughter
Credit Suisse First Boston
Rick Saldan delivers a first-class show! A pro in every
sense of the word. Funny, unique, entertaining and polished.
Brian Letscher, Actor
Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Cold Case, Law & Order and The Mentalist.
Rick Saldan is a wonderful combination of master magician, comic
improviser and first class speaker. The audience loved his program, which
was music to our ears. If you love celebrity motivational speakers such as
Tom Hopkins, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar, then you'll love Rick!
Dottie Burman, President
Burtley Productions, Inc.
Rick Saldan
is an incredibly talented performer and motivational speaker with great insight. He shares many powerful
motivational messages that will enhance your life for the better!
Jack Murray, President
Dream Illusions
Rick is one of the best inspirational speakers on
the scene today. Funny, fun loving and highly energetic. If you want to
make your next event into an extraordinary one, then invite professional
speaker Rick Saldan and his amazing Motivational Magic.
Andres Lara, President
Inspiration Times Magazine
Children and the Aftermath of Katrina: From fear to hope Author: Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
Children and the Aftermath of Katrina:
From fear to hope
In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, many children will be hiding under the covers. When tragedies such as Katrina strike, children, like many of us adults, have no way to understand the unimaginable. It is normal to be frightened of life threatening events.
Also like us adults, children do best with certainty, predictability and stability in their lives. Tragedy however, turns those elements upside down and chaos often reigns. A consequence of chaos is powerlessness – that sickening sense that you are unable to effect any change in circumstances whatsoever for the better. After powerlessness comes either anger or depression and sometimes both, then despair.
Children, particularly young children, will gain their sense of safety and security first from their parents and secondly from other adults. They will look to our reactions to help them interpret their own and then they will look to be comforted by us.
The challenge for parents and adults in view of the needs of children is to manage our negative reactions such that they do not spill over on the children. This is not to say that parents or other adults hide their reactions, but only share them in such a way as to say to children that their fears are reasonable, but we will do our best to protect you from harm. This legitimizes their experience, yet provides a positive future orientation that all will be well in time – with patience.
To help children cope, consider the following:
1. As best as possible, try to limit re-traumatization. Shelter children from ongoing horrific images that only contribute to fear, turmoil and upset. Limit exposure to graphic news stories and hold adult conversations out of earshot of the children.
2. Find a way to provide structure. Two elements of structure are routine and activity. The activity may relate to the routine such as preparing food for mealtime. Routines and activities help regain a sense of control when all else feels out of control.
3. Listen to their fears and acknowledge them, but remain reassuring. Children experience the same feelings as adults, so it is important and reasonable to validate their feelings while all the while keeping a positive future orientation.
4. Do good deeds, however small, by helping others. In addition to being an activity, doing good deeds helps overcome the sense of powerlessness and cascade of negative emotions. It empowers children and adults alike and is a potent antidote to powerlessness.
Lastly, hold your children tight and continue to give hugs and kisses. As reassuring as it is for the kids, it works for us parents too. As we comfort and take care of our children, we take care of our worst fears and ourselves. We need to know our children are safe and free from harm.
As we concentrate on the needs of our children, we re-focus in the aftermath of tragedy and find purpose and meaning for our existence.
Concentrating on the needs of our children organizes our activity thus providing structure. The good deeds we do in participation with our children help us while helping others. This in turn protects us from fear and leads to hope… and hope is the key ingredient to overcome the most horrible of tragedy while helping our children.
Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
(905) 628-4847
gary@yoursocialworker.com
www.yoursocialworker.com
Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report. Call him for your next conference and for expert opinion on family matters. Services include counselling, mediation, assessment, assessment critiques and workshops.
Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report. Call him for your next conference and for expert opinion on family matters. Services include counselling, mediation, assessment, assessment critiques and workshops.
