Crisis Intervention for Schools

Crisis intervention strategies are a set of guidelines for schools that experience a major crisis. Whether they are dealing with natural disasters (earthquakes and fires) or human violence (suicides, school shootings, gang-related violence, rape and death), schools need a plan of action to respond and a team prepared to implement it. Such dangerous situations, though temporary, may have a long-lasting psychological effect and can harm students' mental health.

In-School Team

• In a crisis situation, school administrators must act to minimize the number of physical and psychological victims. Schools should have a school-based crisis intervention team (CIT) available and ready to take control in case of a violent incident. Team members must be able to manage the situation, from making phone calls to taking measures to keep students and teachers safe until rescue teams arrive. Organized mobilization of personnel in such cases is key to an efficient intervention and the only way to prevent chaos.

Crisis Intervention Plan

• Planning a crisis intervention ensures that personnel are ready to respond effectively to natural disasters or criminal acts on school premises. The crisis intervention plan should include a statement about what incident constitutes a crisis situation; the responsibilities of each member of the CIT; ways to identify people who need aftermath assistance for psychological trauma; provisions to address cultural and language considerations; and ways to inform people about emergency and crisis procedures.

Teachers' Role

• Teachers need to be thoroughly informed about the details of the school crisis intervention plan. Their role is to organize the students in and outside school, to ensure their safety and take appropriate measures for medical emergencies and evacuation. Teachers should have a backpack with supplies prepared in advance and containing bottles of water, granola bars and a first-aid kit in case they are trapped inside or someone is wounded in the incident. They also must have a list of students to check for their presence in case of evacuation.

Psychological Trauma

• Dealing with the consequences can be difficult for students involved in a crisis situation. Behaviors including lack of interest, violent outbursts, eating problems or substance abuse may indicate psychological trauma. School staff can manage the situation by explaining to the other students that their peers have suffered a shock and will receive support to overcome it. Then they should try to encourage upset students to express their emotions or, if necessary, refer them to a specialist. Finally, they should check whether the students have received proper counseling and support.