CRISIS TEAM RESOURCE GUIDE: READINESS, RESPONSE, …

1 1 CRISIS team RESOURCE guide : readiness , response , AND RECOVERY Table of Contents Foreword 3 Introduction 5 Definition of Terms 7 Chapter One: readiness 9 Chapter Two: response 11 Chapter Three: Student Reactions 17 Chapter Four: Cultural Issues 23 Chapter Five: Recovery 33 Chapter Six: Death by Violence 35 Chapter Seven: Suicide 41 Chapter Eight: Care for the Caregivers 43 Resources 47 Table of Contents for Handouts 59 CRISIS response team RESOURCE guide References 173 2 3 CRISIS team RESOURCE guide : readiness , response , AND RECOVERY FOREWORD Maryland School Psychologists Association (MSPA) has provided valuable professional development opportunities to school-based staff for years. The topics range from issues within special education, to mental health, to CRISIS /traumatic loss response . In today s school climate, the physical and mental well being of students and school staff come under siege from a variety of sources.

2 Violence within the schools and surrounding communities co-exists with untimely accidents and losses (via death or serious illnesses/injuries) within school families. School-based professionals within districts across the nation continually search for resources to aid them in responding to the aforementioned emergencies. MSPA recognized this need and as early as 2001, under the leadership of then president Robin Satchell, coordinated with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to provide National Emergency Assistance team (NEAT) training for participants of local school districts in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. The response was overwhelming. According to feedback surveys collected after the training, the majority of participants acknowledged the workshops to be thorough, as well as relevant. Months after the completion of the workshops, some of the participants collectively inquired what MSPA could do to provide follow-up training on the topics of CRISIS and traumatic loss response .

3 In 2003, MSPA s President Chandra McKnight-Dean led the Executive Board in moving forward with the CRISIS training project, which morphed into the development of a CRISIS response Committee (an ad-hoc committee). This committee was charged with the initial task of developing a state-wide CRISIS response network that would be available for the local school systems. With this goal in mind, an emergency response needs assessment was distributed to each local district in January 2004. The recipients of these mailings included superintendents, directors of student services, safe schools coordinators, and school psychology coordinators/supervisors. The results of this needs assessment indicated that local school systems preferred a CRISIS RESOURCE rather than a CRISIS response network. It was determined that committee members needed to have a consistent model of training. Toward that goal, Robert Hull, Maryland State Department of Education s School Psychology Representative at the time, facilitated contact with International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, (ICISF).

4 ICISF agreed to provide free initial training to MSPA members selected from various school systems state-wide. With financial backing from the MSPA s executive board, funding was secured for 10 MSPA members to receive additional training from ICISF. The following districts had representation at the trainings: Anne Arundel; Baltimore; Carroll; Charles; Frederick; Howard; Montgomery; Talbot; Washington; and Baltimore City. The majority of those 4 trained formed the current MSPA CRISIS response Committee who initiated and completed this CRISIS team RESOURCE guide : readiness , response , and Recovery. The following individuals developed this guide : Preston R. Bodison, Baltimore County; Claudia R. Bowen, Carroll County; Mary V. Cashdollar, Carroll County; Dana Deise, Baltimore City; Ann C. Hammond, Frederick County; Stephanie E. Livesay, Howard County; Robin M. Satchell, Anne Arundel County; Patricia C.

5 Vaira, Charles County; Paul Wolverton, Washington County; and Steven Wrightson, Talbot County. The committee would like to acknowledge the following: National Association of School Psychologists CRISIS Prevention and Intervention Committee for its collaboration and contributions; local school systems for their CRISIS response materials and the time they allowed the committee members to work on this project; and Mary Schoenfeldt for the use of her materials on Death by Violence. 5 INTRODUCTION The Maryland School Psychologists Association (MSPA) established a committee to examine the needs of, and provide support to, Maryland school psychologists serving as members of local, regional or state CRISIS response teams. This CRISIS team RESOURCE guide was developed in response to these identified needs. It has been organized as a hands-on RESOURCE guide for school psychologists seeking ways to communicate key information and intervention strategies to administrators, teachers, parents, and community members when responding to a CRISIS event.

6 It reflects the continuing commitment of Maryland school psychologists to provide research-based, yet accessible information to those concerned with promoting positive coping behaviors in the aftermath of a CRISIS /traumatic event. The information contained in this guide has been compiled from multiple resources in an attempt to provide best practices in CRISIS readiness , response and recovery. Suggestions for Using This guide Organized in a loose-leaf format, the content and resources in this guide are designed to provide information on the following CRISIS related issues: preparedness, response , student reactions, cultural considerations, recovery, death by violence, and care for the caregiver. References, handouts, and additional resources are an essential part of the guide as well. As mental health practitioners, school psychologists have been called upon and are uniquely qualified to serve as team leaders or responders to CRISIS /traumatic events.

7 The specific duties assigned to a team leader or responder may differ from site to site; therefore, flexibility will be needed in implementing the various components of this manual. For example, CRISIS responders will likely encounter a variety of building-level administrator styles. The response section has been designed to support responders with suggestions on how to effectively interact with building administrators and school staff. Finally, best practice recommends annual training at the beginning of each school year. This CRISIS team RESOURCE guide is a valuable source of information for readiness training. It is the committee s intention that this guide will help review the typical roles and functions of school CRISIS response teams. 6 7 DEFINITION OF TERMS CRISIS : A CRISIS is defined as an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life. It is an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending (Merriam-Webster Online).

8 Crises create stress, which may be defined as the nonspecific arousal response of the body to any demand. Extreme stress reactions result when the individual s capability to cope is overwhelmed by the demands of the situation (Johnson et al., 2002). DEFUSING vs. DEBRIEFING: The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) has differentiated the defusing process from the debriefing process and advocates the use of the defusing process in initial responses to a school CRISIS (Johnson et al., 2002). A more detailed description of the defusing process is located in the response Chapter. Debriefing requires rigorous training and was designed to reduce trauma and stress reaction among adults and emergency workers. Debriefing is not recommended for use within the school setting and should not be used without intense training. GRIEF & MOURNING: Grief is a pure overwhelming sense of sadness and is a personal experience of loss.

9 Mourning is grief gone public. It is the outward sharing and expression of pain. Sometimes it is helpful to make the distinction between the two in order to understand that there are some individuals in our society who have permission to grieve but cannot mourn. PSYCHOLOGICAL TRIAGE: Psychological triage is the process of evaluating and sorting victims by immediacy of treatment needed and directing them to immediate or delayed treatment. The goal of triage is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of victims. (NIMH, 2001, ). readiness : readiness is a planned approach or procedures for responding designed to minimize the short-term and long-term effects of crises experienced by victims. RECOVERY: Recovery is providing the necessary follow-up interventions needed to support students and staff in the aftermath of a CRISIS . response : response is the implementation of a set of pre-determined strategies in a CRISIS situation.

10 SCHOOL CRISIS response team : A school CRISIS response team consists of professionals who are prepared, trained, and ready to respond with a set of skills specific to a school situation. The goal of the CRISIS response team is to help the school return to a state of normalcy. For the purposes of this RESOURCE guide , the school CRISIS response team shall be referred to as CRISIS response team . 8 TRAUMA: Trauma is defined as a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury. It may also be an agent, force, or mechanism that causes an emotional upset. Traumatic events overwhelm the person s perceived ability to cope emotionally, cognitively, and physically. These events are unpredictable, unexpected, and usually result in feelings of intense fear, horror, and helplessness. Following a traumatic event, children and adults may experience some of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).