If you continue getting harassed, keep a record of every incident that occurs. At this point, the harasser's actions may be considered illegal, and if they continue you're going to need to get other people involved. Having evidence of the behavior can help your case.  Keep all email and text correspondence you have received, especially regarding any boundaries you’ve set. Note any dates of significance, such as a day you asked for contact to stop, for example, and keep any records to back it up. Write down an account of what has happened, noting the date and place of each incident. Keep the names of other people who have witnessed the harassing behavior in case you need to ask them to verify your account of what occurred. You don't have to deal with harassment alone. Talk to your teacher, school counselor, school administrator, human resources department or someone else you can trust. Most administrations have policies in place to deal with harassment. If the person in question is a student or an employee, involving the administration may put a stop to the behavior. If the harassment reaches a threatening level and you no longer feel safe, call the police right away. Explain what’s happening and present any evidence you have. Try to stick to the facts in your description.  Get the badge number of the police officer who answers your call. Doing so can help you create a better chain of evidence if you have to call again in the future. If you are reporting harassing text messages or cyber activity, it might be best to request an audience with a detective who can investigate such activity. Know that the police are unlikely to do anything at this early point, but creating a formal report helps create a history of your complaint. In some cases, people who harass others may have done it before. If the perpetrator has a pattern of harassing behavior, the police may be more likely to take action. . You can also get a restraining order to protect yourself and your family from the harasser. You'll need to file a petition for a restraining order, have it served to the person harassing you, and have a court hearing during which a judge will rule on what specific protections the restraining order will provide. You'll then receive restraining order papers that you should keep on hand in case the person ever violates the order.  A restraining order usually specifies that the harasser cannot make contact with you or come within a certain distance of you. If you are in immediate danger, you can get a temporary restraining order that will prevent the person from being able to legally come near you or get in contact with you at least until your court date. Keep detailed records and report each time the harasser violates your restraining order to the police, if needed. If someone is harassing you through phone calls or text messages, call your phone company and ask them to set up a trace. This feature allows your phone company to track phone calls coming from the harasser's number. The phone company can then share this evidence with the police department. They may also be able to use this information to track down the harasser if necessary.
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One-sentence summary -- Keep records of the harassment. Talk to the administration at your school or workplace. File a report with the police.  Get a restraining order Have your phone company set up a trace.


A child can be impacted by a traumatic event but keep it bottled up inside out of a misguided need to be strong or courageous for family, or fear of upsetting others. They should have opportunities to talk about their feelings about the event, and they should also have opportunities to do fun things completely unrelated to it.  Tell your child that they can come to you if they have fears, questions, or things they want to talk about. If your child does so, give them your full attention and validate their feelings.  If the traumatic event made the news (e.g. a school shooting or natural disaster), reduce your child's exposure to media sources, and monitor their use of the internet and TV. Repeated exposure to the event on the news can make it harder for the child to recover.  Providing emotional support can reduce your child's risk of developing trauma, or make the trauma less severe than it could have been. Some children may not give evidence for being upset for several weeks or even months. Avoid rushing a child to explore and express their feelings. It can take time for some children to process what has happened. The responses, reactions and abilities of those immediately responsible for a child influence the child's ability to cope with a traumatic occurrence. While your love and support is very helpful, sometimes children need more than this to help them recover from terrifying events. Don't be afraid to seek help for your child. The types of therapy likely to assist recovery for your child include psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).  If the traumatic event happened to multiple family members, or if you think the family could use help, look into family therapy. While it is only natural for you to want to try to be the support for your child, going it alone will make it harder on you, especially if you have also experienced the traumatic event. Your child will pick up on it if you're distressed or scared, and will take their cues from you, so self-care is a necessity.  Take time to talk about what's going on with your loved ones, like your spouse and friends. Talking about your feelings can help you deal with them and feel less alone. Look into support groups if you or a loved one is going through something very difficult. If you're feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself what you need right now. Do you need a warm shower, a cup of coffee, a hug, 30 minutes with a good book? Take good care of yourself. Family members, friends, therapists, teachers, and others can all support your child and your family in coping with the aftermath of the traumatic event. You are not alone, and neither is your child. You can help a great deal by seeking to restore a routine as soon as possible, continuing to feed your child a nutritious diet and helping your child maintain play and exercise schedules that ensure connections with others of their own age and body movement for good health.  Try to get your child moving (taking walks, going to the park, swimming, jumping on a trampoline, etc.) at least once per day. Ideally, 1/3 of your child's plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables that they like eating. What does your child need right now? How can you support them today? Just like coping with the past is important, enjoying the present is important too.
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One-sentence summary --
Be aware that even if a child does not display any or a few of these symptoms, that doesn't mean they're coping. Assume that a child who has been part of a traumatic event needs to be cared for with extra attention to helping them through the event. Keep an eye out, even if signs of trauma don't show up right away. Seek help for signs of trauma as soon as possible. Have your child see a counselor or psychologist if they seem to be struggling to cope. Look into what type of therapy would be right for your child. Don't try to cope alone. Encourage your child's interaction with others. Support your child's health. Be available for your child in the here and now.