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Running Head: Crisis Management 1
Crisis Management Planning and Evaluation Assignment
Crisis Management 2
What is a Crisis?
Merriam- Webster defines the word crisis as an emotionally significant event or radical
change of status in a person's life (Merriam-Webster, 2021). A crisis can be considered an
unexpected emergency situation, ultimately creating a major impact that greatly alters the school
setting (NEA, 2018). Crisis in a school environment includes, but is not limited to, school threats
or attacks, deaths, mass shootings, and unexpected acts of nature (NEA, 2018).
Schools must be proactive in training and educating teachers and staff on the warning
signs of at risk behaviors, to potentially prevent a dangerous incident from occurring (NEA,
2018). Some signs to look for in students are changes in their behavior. Students that maybe
considering violent acts towards themselves or others may display changes in their actions and
attitude, talk about hurting themselves or others, or engage in quarrels with peers (SAVE, 2021).
It has also been found that students considering acts of violence may use social media as a
platform to express their violent thoughts, feelings, and actions (SAVE, 2021).
Some of the signs a student suffering with suicidal thoughts may display are extreme
sadness, talk about death, restlessness, isolation, and the act of making a suicide plan (Erbacher
et al., 2015). Some of the signs for students dealing with depression are extreme anger,
irritability, lack of focus, and talk of death and suicide (SAVE, 2021). Some signs students that
are abusing substances may display are changes in academic performance, changes in behavior,
poor grooming, lack of interest or engagement with social groups, peers, or clubs, and change in
friendships and social circles (UAB Medicine, 2021).
Some of the guidelines for suicide risk assessments include making sure the student is
aware of what is going on and what is being discussed, while the counselor is evaluating for
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signs of suicide ideation, the students level of suicide intent, and suicide plan (Erbacher et al.,
2015). When a student presents themself as a suicide risk, the use of an intervention plan is
necessary. During this time student should be closely monitored at all times, parents, guardian, or
appropriate authorities should be contacted, and contact and referral should be made to the
proper resource to best address the suicide risk (ASCA, 2016) . The at risk student will either be
released to the parent who will provide proper support, or the at risk student will be taken to a
hospital or mental health center for treatment (ASCA, 2016).
School crisis situations can greatly impact a community. Communities often times have a
deep a connection to the schools in their neighborhoods. While each member of the community
may not directly know the individuals involved, they share a bond, and come together as a
neighborhood family to mourn and support each other during difficult times. The support of a
community can positively affect the recovery process, build resilience, and promote positive
changes to be in place in order to prevent tragedy for occurring again.
Crisis Management Plan
The purpose of a Crisis Management Plan is to have a thoroughly thought out plan of
action in cases of crisis situations or emergencies. This well developed plan is designed to
respond to and recover from a crisis situation, prevent any additional emergencies from
occurring, and protect the overall well being of others (NEA, 2018). It is important to have a
crisis management plan because it prepares individuals to properly respond in an emergency
situations to potentially ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school, students, and staff. (NEA,
2018). The outcome of being ill prepared in a crisis situation could be damaging, leading to a
chaotic event that can place many people in danger.
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Information in a crisis plan includes, but is not limited to, the names and contact
information of the individuals appointed to the crisis response team, the duties of the team
members, important steps and protocols that should be followed during and immediately after the
emergency situation, plans for caring for physical, emotional, and mental needs, contact
information for emergency resources.
Crisis Management Team
The crisis management team is a group of members from the school and community that
handle the planning and executing of emergency protocols in crisis situations (Erbacher et al.,
2015). The team is generally lead by the school’s principal, with other members such as assistant
principals, counselors, emergency medical personnel, law enforcement, and other school district
administrators (Erbacher et al., 2015). School counselors are essential to the crisis management
team because of their training, skills, and abilities to care for a variety of emotional and mental
challenges of diverse individuals during tragic times.
Role of the School Counselor
The role of the school counselor in crisis management is to assess and care for the
emotional and mental state of individuals impacted by the crisis situation. School counselors
assess the crisis and plan post traumatic support for the recovery process. For some individuals,
the care they may need to recovery from the tragic event may be long-term, in such cases, school
counselors provide referrals and outside resources to best meet the needs of the individuals.
The ethical and legal considerations that should be considered when responding to a crisis is
ensuring the act of negligence is not present, and ensure students are not at risk of being a danger
to themselves or others (Erbacher et al., 2015). In a crisis situation it is always best to air on the
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side of caution and act in the best interest of all students. A suicide prevention program, such as
Signs of Suicide (SOS), is an evidence based, age appropriate resource to use with a wide range
of students to help understand and identify signs related to depression and suicide. The
multicultural issues to consider when deciding on a suicide prevention program is ensuring that
the material meets the needs of the diverse student population. Being culturally sensitive to word
choice, cultural representation, and non-bias religious perspectives is important in order for the
prevention program to be receptive and impactful for all students. School counselors can
benefit from collaborating before, during, and after a crisis situation. Collaborating before a
crisis could help with the preparation process. Working with other counselors could help in the
thinking and planning process to ensure all possible outcomes are planned for and covered.
Collaborating before can also establish good working relationships with other counselors that can
be helpful during and after a crisis as well. Collaborating during the crisis can help with support
and manpower needed to assist during the emergency situation. And collaborating after the crisis
could be beneficial with the recovery process, resources, and referrals.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a counseling approach that is used for individuals that
have experienced some sort of trauma or traumatic life event. Other counseling techniques that
could be used to help students that recover from a crisis event are small groups, individual
sessions, and expressing emotions through journaling and artwork (Erbacher et al., 2015). The
three tiers of crisis post-vention are universal intervention, which is support for the school
population as a whole, selective intervention, which is for specific students that need additional
support, and indicated intervention, for students that may need long-term support beyond the
schools care.
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Crisis Plan Critique & Self Reflection
Two strengths from the Suicide in Schools book is the use of case studies and the
discussion of the legal ramifications that can transpire for schools when it deals with suicides.
The case studies were informative in providing real like scenarios school counselor’s could face.
The chapter that discussed the legal details was very informative, and helps increase self
awareness and sensitivity to one’s personal responsibilities and actions. Because this book was so
well written and stead’s light on many important areas, I could not find any weaknesses. Two
strengths from the National Education Association School Crisis Guide are the example
templates and the crisis to do checklist. The crisis to do checklist was helpful in seeing what
steps and actions should be taken in a crisis emergency situation. The templates, such as the
media release, was helpful because such documents are used regularly, so having those templates
available is a great resource. The main weakness of the School Crisis Guide is the lack of
detailed information in some key area. Some things should be more elaborated in its explanation
to give a better understanding of what all that area consists of.
Two suggestions for improving crisis response in the school setting are making sure the
students are regularly educated, informed, and aware of their role and actions that should be
taken in a crisis. It is important that students understand the part they play in maintaining their
safety in a crisis, to potentially prevent an unnecessary mishaps or emergency. Another
suggestion is to intentionally develop relationships with local and neighboring support resources.
Making connections and having good relationships with the community is important, because
they will be the first to respond in a time of crisis. Two ways to manage personal compassion
fatigue is by getting counseling for yourself and regular self care. Counselors unknowingly
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absorbed a lot of the emotions that are attach to the situations their clients are experiencing. It is
important that counselors are receiving counseling to process and talk through their emotions,
thoughts, and feelings. To be an effective counselor, we must first take care of our selves. Taking
time to detach and take care of our mental and physical health is important so that we may be
able to service out clients to the best of our abilities.
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Reference
American School Counselor Association (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.
Alexandria, VA: Author.
Merriam-Webster. (2021). crisis. In Meriam-Webster.com dictionary.
https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/crisis
National Education Association NEA. (2018). NEA’s School Crisis Guide NEA. https://
www.nea.org/resource-library/neas-school-crisis guide
Prevent Youth Suicide Today with SOS Signs of Suicide - MindWise Innovations. (2021).
MindWise. https://www.mindwise.org/suicide-prevention/
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education SAVE. (2021). Depression and suicide. save.org. https://
save.org/about-suicide/mental-illness-and-suicide/depression/
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education SAVE. (2021). Warning signs of suicide. save.org.
https://save.org/about-suicide/warning-signs-risk-factors-protective-factors/
UAB Medicine. (2021). Substance Abuse and the Classroom: 5 Signs Teachers Should Watch
For - UAB Medicine News. UAB Medicine. https://www.uabmedicine.org/-/substance-abuse
and-the-classroom-5-signs-teachers-should-watch-for
