Week 7: Discussion on Rituals of Bereavement

Chapter Thirteen: Crises in Schools

The New-Millennium, Violence- Proof School Building

 Increased use of the following safety measures from 1999-2008  Controlled access to the school buildings and grounds  Students/faculty required to wear picture identification  Security cameras to monitor facilities  Telephones in all classrooms  Uniforms for students  Drug testing for students involved in athletics or clubs

 Conflicting Statistics  Incidents of Crime  Fear and Avoidance  Threats to Teachers  Disciplinary Action

Gangs  Types of Gangs

 Homegrown Copycats/Wannabes  Homegrown Survivalist, Aryan Nation, Neo-Nazi,

Extreme Right-Wingers  Transients From Megagangs  Megagangs Opening New Territory  Smorgasbord Home Boys

 Emergence of Suburban and Rural Gangs

Gang Intervention/Prevention Programs

 Counseling  School Resource Officer  Guidance Programs  Peer Counseling/Peer Mediation  Anger Management  After-School and Community Outreach

Programs  Schools  The Community

Bullying  Three Components:

 Bully has more power than the victim  Use of intimidation via threats  Pattern of behavior rather than a one time incident

 Cyberbullying  Using technology to harass, humiliate, or threaten

someone  Eight types:  Flaming  Harassment  Denigration  Masquerading  Outing  Social exclusion  Cyberstalking  Cyberthreats

Bullying Intervention

 Punishment Approach

 Consequences Approach

 Feelings Approach

SVJO vs. EVJO

 Abusive Childhood  Academic Problems  Altered States of Consciousness  Anger/Low Frustration Tolerance  Bully/Bullied  Chemical and Substance Abuse  Criminal Behavior  Delayed Cognitive and Affective Development  Emotional Lability/Depression  External Locus of Control  History and Threats of Violence

SVJO vs. EVJO Cont.

 Hypersensitivity  Impulsivity  Mental Illness  Negative Role Models  Odd/Bizarre Beliefs  Pathology and Deviance  Physical Problems  Preoccupation With Violent Themes  Social Status  Suicidal Ideation  Weapons

Screening the EVJO

 Leakage

 Writings, Drawings, Pictures, Videos, and E-Mails

 Peer Referral

 Threat Assessment Team

Interviewing the Potential EVJO  Three Level Threat Assessment:

 Low threat  Medium threat  High threat

 Ensuring Safety  Motive  Opportunity  Method/plan  Means

 Providing Support

 Action

School-Based Suicide Prevention and Intervention

 Risk Factors/Predictors/Cues

 Pre-adolescent Suicide

 Postvention  Clustering of suicides  Contagion  Publicity and contagion  Imperatives for SCRTs in suicides  Grief and mourning after adolescent suicide

Legal and Ethical Issues of Potentially Violent Behavior

 Confidentiality and Duty to Warn  Keeping records  Consultation

 Consistency of Intervention  Zero tolerance

 The Problem of “Doing Something” in a University Setting  TASSLE  Threat Assessment Team

Planning for a Crisis

 The Crisis Response Planning Committee

 The School Crisis Response Team (SCRT)  Crisis Response Coordinator  Crisis Intervention Coordinator  Media Liaison  Security Liaison  Community/Medical Liaison  Parent Liaison  Community Liaison  Crisis Interveners  Resource/Facilities Person

Implementing the Crisis Plan  Physical Requirements

 Counseling locations  Operations/Communications center  Break room  Information center  First-aid room

 Logistics  On-site communications  Establishing a phone tree among all staff  Procedural checklist  Building plans  Provisions

Implementing the Crisis Plan Cont.

 Responding to the Crisis  Getting the facts  Impact assessment  Triage assessment  Psychological First Aid  The NOVA Model  Crisis intervention  Briefing and debriefing  Demobilizing

Bereavement in Schools  What the School Should Do:

 Become educated about grief  Give permission to grieve  Allow time to grieve  LISTEN  Reminiscing is essential  Give support for a variety of feelings  Know you can not “fix” the pain  Engage with the adolescents, support them, and follow through  Design a support group  Let them know they are not alone

 Group Work

 Defining the Boundaries

Transcrisis Intervention

 Drawings, modeling clay, and other manipulative play materials are particularly helpful in empowering children.

 Worker must be calm, cool, and collected and be able to psychologically and physically comfort the child.

 Useful Techniques  Guided imagery  Use of superheroes  Conscious dreaming  Relaxation and desensitization exercises