The latest theory and practice on issues involved in crisis prevention and response. A foundation for developing comprehensive crises teams. Detailed information about the characteristics of responsive schools and guidance on implement practices that promote safe schools.

Is your school ready to respond to a crisis? Are school staff ready to address physical safety issues, emotional needs, and mental health consequences that arise from crisis situations? What steps can you take now to prepare your school for a crisis? Use the steps and guidance offered in this book to answer these and other questions critical to surviving any crisis that touches a school. Tens of thousands of school and community professionals have used this model and you can adapt it to your unique situation. Whether you need to address a crisis in the school building, across the district, or throughout a region, the field-tested model and practical guidelines lead you to answers that form a framework critical to controlling crisis situations. With an emphasis on integrating safety and security plans with mental health services, the authors show you how to use the talents, training, and knowledge of school personnel to coordinate a comprehensive response to any crisis. This model empowers staff to initiate and sustain a response to crises that answers the physical safety, mental health, and emotional needs of students, community, and staff. Sample plans, forms, checklists, and resources jump start crisis training, preparation, and response. How to Prepare for and Respond to a Crisis, 2nd Edition, is based on the work of the School Crisis Response Initiative of the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence, which is part of the Yale Child Study Center.

Psychological Crisis Intervention: The SAFER-R Model is designed to provide the reader with a simple set of guidelines for the provision of psychological first aid (PFA). The model of psychological first aid (PFA) for individuals presented in this volume is the SAFER-R model developed by the authors. Arguably it is the most widely used tactical model of crisis intervention in the world with roughly 1 million individuals trained in its operational and derivative guidelines. This model of PFA is not a therapy model nor a substitute for therapy. Rather it is designed to help crisis interventionists stabile and mitigate acute crisis reactions in individuals, as opposed to groups. Guidelines for triage and referrals are also provided. Before plunging into the step-by-step guidelines, a brief history and terminological framework is provided. Lastly, recommendations for addressing specific psychological challenges (suicidal ideation, resistance to seeking professional psychological support, and depression) are provided.

Featuring new chapters on bullying, sexual assault, natural disasters, eating disorders, and cultural considerations, the second edition of this highly popular Handbook provides a one-stop reference for mental health professionals who face a bewildering variety of school-based crises. Key features include a focus on both prevention and intervention and ongoing discussions of the research that underlies best practice. Like the first edition, chapters follow a parallel structure that includes: *the incidence, prevalence, and impact of the crisis; *theories regarding precipitating factors; *discussion of who is at risk for encountering the crisis; *primary prevention activities; *methods of working with high-risk clients; *developmentally-appropriate methods and intervention activities for individuals; and *developmentally-appropriate methods and activities for groups. The result is an unusually coherent volume that is suitable for graduate work in school psychology, school counseling, school social work, and school nursing, or as a reference work for in-service practitioners.

A comprehensive, school-based crisis intervention program can do a great deal to prevent teenage suicide, and to help the school community survive if a tragedy cannot be averted. In this important book, Scott Poland, who has written and lectured extensively on the topic, provides professionals with practical, step-by-step guidelines for setting up and maintaining such a program. Including numerous illustrative case examples, the book emphasizes the role played by all school personnel in suicide intervention and prevention. It is an invaluable resource for school psychologists, counselors, teachers, and administrators.