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Psychological and Emotional Recovery Team Staff Strategies: Grief and Crisis ………………………………………………………15-17
American Red Cross/ Chicago
Weather Bureau 800-337-2338
815-834-1435
Responsibilities of a Person who Discovers Crisis/Incident.
1. Assess the crisis. ● What must be done immediately to protect lives? ● Different kinds of crises will require different kinds of responses. Should the school go on lockdown, evacuate immediately, or close off areas of the building or grounds? ● Are people injured? ● Is medical attention needed? 2. Call for assistance. ● Contact police and fire/rescue agencies. ● Contact leadership and the crisis team at the district central office. ● Have alternative communication plans in case cell service is unavailable.
Psychological and Emotional Recovery Team
The purpose of the team is to: ● Assist with coping and understanding of reactions to danger and traumatic stress. ● Support the emotional stabilization of students, teachers, and parents, and restore psychological security ● Restore a safe and effective learning environment and help schools return to learning as quickly as possible.
Psychological and Emotional Recovery Team (PERT)
The team is made up of Social Workers, School Psychologists, and administration.
The team can provide support to schools to help manage and address the emotional impact of a crisis. • This team can also provide support to a school when invited by a Principal or when directed by the Superintendent or Superintendent designee.
The PERT members are available to: • Consult with School Crisis Teams to develop a plan for crisis recovery • Provide training to Crisis Response Intervention Team members • Triage emotional needs of students and staff • Assist teachers and staff in notifying students of the crisis • Support parents in addressing concerns about their children • Provide linkages to resources in the community • Work with individual students/groups of students when needed • Provide ongoing consultation to the CRIT on anniversary dates or if the crisis is ongoing
The Crisis Response Intervention Team will decide if the Psychological and Emotional Recovery Team is needed. The decision is made by the School Administrator in conjunction with the Superintendent and School Crisis Recovery team leader. The PERT will provide different types of assistance depending on the nature of the emergency or crisis. The team provides support from individual crises to school-wide emergencies. In the event of a large-scale crisis that would overwhelm district resources, the Psychological and Emotional Recovery Team will collaborate with community, city, and state agencies for support. The PERT and Student Support Services Coordinator, in conjunction with the appropriate School Administrator, would coordinate these services. The PERT meets with the Superintendent or designee, School Administration, and the school crisis team to plan for the response to the Crisis. Each response is tailored to the needs of the school. The team assesses the severity and impact the situation has on the school and its community. The team provides support, assistance with tracking students, anniversary responses, and updates. Communication is critical in times of response. The team is often communicating with all schools and/or community agencies that would be impacted by the event.
STAFF STRATEGIES: GRIEF AND CRISIS
DO’S OF DEALING WITH THE CRISIS
● Be supportive ● Stay calm. Listen and help the person express their feelings. Let students know they are not alone, and help is available ● Be aware of your feelings about death and suicide ● Be sure that students are familiar with the availability and location of the crisis team members
GENERAL DONTS
● Don’t deny or minimize the severity of the person’s problem or his/her reaction ● Don’t lecture or preach
● Don’t be judgmental ● Don’t get overly involved or attempt to do therapy ● Don’t hesitate to send a troubled student to the crisis team for help
IF YOU BECOME AWARE THAT A STUDENT HAS EXPERIENCED THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE IN THE PAST: Tell the student that you learned that “your mom died two years ago.'' Making a direct statement establishes your concern and immediately removes an emotional barrier. The child will know you are sensitive to his/her loss. You can then talk with the child about what you can do to make things easier. Be sure the child meets with the social worker. Many children re-grieve, especially when the death occurred during the previous developmental stage.
TEACHERS:
● The rescheduling of any impending stressful academic exercises or tests may need to be considered. The Principal will determine any delays in major requirements such as final exams. ● Teachers should give permission to grieve and provide them an atmosphere, which encourages the expression of all reactions to the event. Even unusual ones like laughing is a fear reaction. Staff should validate others’ feelings. ● Teachers should allow for physical concerns like more frequent trips to the school nurse. They may be a nonverbal way of expressing feelings. ● Teachers may want to attempt or encourage additional tutoring. ● Teachers should review procedures for making a referral from classes to designated crisis station rooms and the time availability of counselors. Students should be dismissed only in accordance with pre-planned protocol. ● Teachers should keep a list of crisis management team members so they are aware of who comprises the team. ● After the formal statement has been read to a class, teachers will want to allow some time for students to discuss how they feel. Teachers are encouraged to express acceptance of the student’s feelings and to show them that they care and are willing to become involved in helping students cope with strong feelings around the crisis at hand. The goal is not to provide treatment or to function as a therapist, but rather to intervene at a time of heightened emotions. Each staff members’ purpose will be to identify students who are particularly distressed and to connect them with the help they need by directing them in a compassionate and caring way to a member of the crisis management team. Remember, it is always safer to refer any student you have a question about.
● Any of the traumatic circumstances (accidents, suicides, bomb threats, riots, tornadoes, etc.), which may affect the school community, may trigger an already depressed youth to behave in a dangerous and possibly self-destructive way. Once again, you are not being asked to diagnose a student’s condition, but to identify students who may be in need of help and to direct them to helping professionals on the crisis management team.
More strategies to help with GRIEF
IF THE DEATH OCCURS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WHEN THE STUDENT IS IN YOUR CLASS….
1. Ask the family what information you can share with the class about the death. Prepare the class before the grieving child returns to the school setting. Discuss death, experiences other class members have had with death, and brainstorm about what are appropriate and inappropriate things to say to their classmate. The goal is to increase sensitivity to the grieving child.
2. Have the class make cards or write notes to the grieving child before he/she returns to school.
3. Ease up on expectations for a period of time. Some children do relatively well academically during a grieving period for a number of reasons. Others fall apart and are unable to concentrate long enough to complete a simple assignment.
4. Use contracts with flexible deadlines. If possible, hold off on all grades for a month or so. Remind the child that you know it is going to be difficult and that you want to help. 5. To compensate for their grief or for the chaos at home, some grieving children become overly conscientious about schoolwork. They want to make the dead loved one proud and will go overboard to please. Such a child puts him/herself under debilitating stress. Do what you can to relax them.
6. Encourage him/her to play with friends.
7. If you see signs of severe stress, inform the parents and the social worker.
8. Don’t be misled by a grieving child who jokes about the funeral or anything else associated with death. Children cope differently when grieving.
9. The social worker or designee should reach out to any student dealing with a death if the student/family wants to receive social work services.
IF THE DEATH OCCURS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WHEN THE STUDENT IS IN YOUR CLASS….
10. Try to keep the mood light in a difficult situation so they won’t break down emotionally.
11. Offer creative outlets at school: a. Writing poetry or letters b. Keeping a journal c. Art or playing an instrument
