Crisis Relief
by Peter White, MA & David Peat, PhD.
Crisis Relief is a preventative measure for being caught off-guard, dumbfounded, confused or locked into a state of decision paralysis during a crisis.
The Authors
Peter White, MA & David Peat, PhD.
A long history of international experience in crisis intervention planning and training.
The authors, White and Peat, are certified psychologists. Their long-time collaborative experience encompasses assessment, research design, measurement, program evaluation, coping with grief, loss and behavioural issues, teacher workshops, and educational, medical, and community-based plans and interventions. They understand the needs of students, parents, educators, schools, administration, the media and communities. Their work influences and directs outcomes in too many countries to mention here.
A must-read before the unthinkable happens in your school.
Crisis Relief is a guide for principals, teachers, and school employees. Get the tools to produce the best outcome for the worst possible scenarios.
Our schools are not immune to society's challenges. Violence, threats, suicide, sudden loss, a child's terminal illness, family crisis, or a large-scale disaster will happen.
BUY
It is overwhelming to be a teacher in today's crisis-riddled world. Teachers and school divisions must develop new skills and capacities to deliver the best learning experiences.
Produce the Best Outcome for the Worst Possible Scenarios
Contents
Step 1 : Open Book
Find the information you need. • Introduction • How the Book is Organized • Adapting the Information for Your School or Community Setting • Using the Pocket Reference Cards • Using teh Rapid Response Checklists
Includes easy-to-use, immediate response checklists and forms – practical guidelines for what needs to get done (when, where, why, how and by whom).
Step 2 : Prepare
Traumatic Events Can and Do Take Place at Schools • Selecting Crisis Team Members • Levels of Response to a Crisis • Recognizing Community Expectations Around the Role of Schools • What is a Crisis? • Steps for Successfully Managing a Crisis • Keeping Records
Step 3 : Mobilize School Crisis Team – Now!
Typical Sequence of Events After a Crisis • Performing the Initial Assessment • Contacting School Staff • Making the Announcement in School • Staff Rolls and Responsibilities • Classroom Activities • Teacher Do's and Don'ts
Step 4 : Deal with the Media and Parent Concerns
Be Proactive – Contact Parents and the Media • Setting Limits for Media Access • Guidelines for Communicating with the Media • Dealing with Parents at the School • Preparing an Information Letter to the Parents • How Parents Can Help Children Cope
Step 5 : Reduce Tramatic Stress and Offer Crisis Couselling
Establishing a Student Drop-In Center • Monitoring Areas Where Students Tend to Gather • Monitoring and Assessing Affected Individuals • Assessing Family Support for Children • Grief and the Grief Process • Panic Attacks • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) • Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Step 6 : Review the Situation and “Debrief”
Step 7 : Organize a Memorial Service
Determining an Appropriate Response • Organizing a School Memorial Service • Preparing Students for the Memorial Service • Classroom Activities to Help Bring Closure
Step 8 : Deal with the Crisis Aftermath
Be Aware that Staff May Be Traumatized • Help Traumatized Staff • Gaining Perspective After the Incident • Ongoing Student Counselling • Evaluating the Crisis Response Plan
Step 9 : Respond Appropriately to Specific Types of Crises
Responding to Violence • Responding to Threats • Responding to Suicide • Responding to Sudden Loss • Responding When a Child is Terminally Ill • Responding to a Family Crisis • Responding to a Large-Scale Disaster • Responding to a Marine Disaster
Step 10 : Develop (or Amend) Your School Crisis Plan for the Future
Develop a Comprehensive Crisis Plan – or Review Your Existing Plan • Choose the Forms You Will Use
Appendix 1 : Pocket Reference Cards
Defusing Emotions • Group Debriefing • Classroom Debriefing • Individual Debriefing • Operational Debriefing • Assessing Risk of Suicide
Appendix 2 : Checklists and Forms
Checklists to be Used During Immediate Response • Crisis-Specific Checklists • Assessment-Related Checklists • Intervention-Related Checklists • Forms for Documentation, Record Keeping, and Follow-Up
The Essential Response to Our Modern School Dilemmas
A few years ago, Dr. Peat and Peter White began noticing a disturbing trend when disasters would strike communities. Teachers and school leadership were ill-prepared to help students respond to the effects of a crisis no one could have imagined happening in their school. In response, they created an indispensable guide that includes easy-to-use, immediate response checklists and forms – practical guidelines for what needs to get done (when, where, why, how and by whom).
