Key points

Microaggressions and racial stressors can feel like daily “tricks” that drain safety and confidence.

A safety plan helps children identify warning signs, safe people, and practical coping steps.

Practicing coping statements and skills ahead of time strengthens resilience during tough moments.

October invites us to play with fear . We tour haunted houses, watch jump-scare movies, and swap ghost stories for fun. But for too many Black and other marginalized youth, “spooky season” doesn’t end when the credits roll. The tricks that linger after Halloween (like someone dressing up in “Blackface” or appropriating your culture, microaggressions in the hallway, exclusion at lunch, racial jokes in a group chat) aren’t pretend. They’re real stressors with real effects on mood, sle

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