technical assistance in developing the wv school mental health crisis plan krystal stollings, m.a.,...

Technical Assistance in Developing the

WV School Mental Health Crisis Plan

Krystal Stollings, M.A., Ed.S., NCSP Director of School Psychological Services

Boone County Schools

Jodie AkersDirector of Student ServicesUpshur County Schools

Jeffery Harvey, MSSLPreparedness Division Manager (JH Consulting)

on behalf of Upshur County Schools

Importance of Planning for an Emergency or Crisis

Emergencies of all shapes and sizes occur in schools daily

Emergencies or crises have significant impact on students, faculty, parents and community: Physical

Emotional

Educational

Effective planning will reduce the level of chaos that occurs during an emergency and will enable students to return to normalcy quicker 7 P’s: “Prior Proper Planning Prevents Pitifully Poor

Performance”

Slide information provided by Dr. Barbara Brady, WVDE

Impact of Trauma on Learning

By ignoring the emotional impact of trauma or if practices are inappropriate in crisis response a system can actually re-traumatize students and school staff (secondary trauma).


Code and Policy Requirements

WVBE Policy 2315: Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

5.1.c. Responsive Services (Crisis Prevention and Response)The school counselor collaborates with stakeholders to create a school-wide, prevention-based approach to individual and school crises and has a crisis plan in place to address the mental health component of common school-wide crises.

Outline responsibilities and best practices to address school-wide crisis

Preparedness Prevention Intervention Response


Crisis Planning considerations…

4 Phases:PreparednessPreventionResponseRecovery


PREPAREDNESS

A continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping,

exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident

response.

Source: USDHS. (December, 2008). National Incident Management System. Washington, D.C.

PREPAREDNESS Preparing in case there is a crisis

Consist of several steps Creating a mental health crisis team

Each county and school will appoint 1-2 school staff (usually the school counselor) to form and coordinate a mental health crisis planning team (MHCPT) as a subcommittee of the school crisis team.

Regular meetings

Developing protocols and guidelines for Prevention

Response

Recovery

Scheduling exercises and drills Considerations for vulnerable populations

Training (crisis team and staff members)Slide information provided by Dr. Barbara Brady, WVDE

PREPAREDNESS

Action Steps Identify and involve stakeholders Consider existing efforts Determine what crises the plan will

address Define roles and responsibilities Develop methods for communicating

with the staff, students, families and the media

Practice


PREVENTION

Prevent, avoid or stop an imminent, threatened or

actual act.

Definition adapted from www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal

PREVENTION

Reducing incidents and managing behaviors before they escalate

Providing a safe and nurturing environment

Prevent problems (4373) – Teach/model expected behaviors (2315) Prevention –based programs

Respond as soon as problems are identified


PREVENTION

School-wide, tiered model approach Positive Behavior Support Programs

Expanded School Mental Health

Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

Bullying Prevention Programs

Collaborative Delivery of the Student Success Standards (healthy student development)

Staff Development(PBIS, ESMH, Mental Health First Aid, Suicide prevention anger management, bullying prevention, trauma-informed schools, stages of grief, etc.)


RESPONSE

Respond quickly to save lives, protect property and the

environment, and meet basic human needs in the aftermath of

an incident.


RESPONSE Protect safety

Address immediate and short-term needs

Support students, staff, and parents (calm/nurture)

Reduce distress and foster adaptive coping

Assist with short-term decision making

Restoring equilibrium

Identify students and staff who need follow-up during the recovery phase

Connect students, staff and families with resources

Each county and school should have a School Mental Health Crisis Response Team (WVSMHCRT) ready to respond in the event of a crisis that is trained in crisis triage and mental health interventions.


RESPONSE

Incident response process can be broken down into three stages: 1. Triage: The main objective during triage is to

reaffirm physical health and ensure perception of safety.

2. Evaluation is a process used through the entire event of crisis response. The SMHCRT constantly evaluates victims and responders’ level of psychological risk (low, moderate, high) and appropriate interventions chosen by the individual school.

3. Response Interventions: appropriate interventions are used for each level of risk for psychological trauma.

**pg. 6 of Addressing Mental Health in Crisis Prevention & Response: A Resource Guide for WV Schools

RESPONSE

Level of Risks:

a. Low Risk interventions are used to re-establish social support which includes psycho-education (caregiver training).

b. Moderate Risk interventions to re-establish social support, include caregiver training and psycho-education groups, and immediate Psychological First Aid (PFA) or other mental health intervention chosen by the individual school.

c. High Risk interventions to re-establish social support, include caregiver training and psycho-education groups, immediate Psychological First Aid (PFA) or other mental health intervention chosen by the individual school, and referrals to long-term psychotherapy.


RESPONSE

High risk or at risk populations include those who:

Had direct exposure or extreme life threat;

Were injured

Experienced death or serious injury of a love one;

Had close personal relationship with any victim(s);

Have history of depression or suicidal thoughts or attempts;

Have history of shyness or low self-confidence;

Have a history of risk-taking behavior; and

Have experienced prior traumatic events are at current risk, including-those exposed to community violence of domestic violence; those with a history of abuse and/or neglect; war or other refugees; those from economically disadvantaged groups; medically vulnerable individuals; those from disaster prone regions.


RESPONSE

Special Considerations-Crisis response interventions may need to be adapted for students with disabilities or other impairments. Different disabilities that may need special considerations:

Autism, Learning Disabilities, Speech Impairment, Cognitive Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, Orthopedic Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Other Health Impairment (diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, etc.)


RESPONSE What types of trauma do you want to consider and address in your School

Mental Health Response Plan?

Community Violence

Medical Trauma

Refugee and War Zone Trauma

Complex Trauma

Natural Disaster

School Violence

Domestic Violence

Neglect

Sexual Abuse

Early Childhood Trauma

Physical Abuse

Terrorism

Traumatic Grief

RESPONSE


RECOVERY

Recover through a focus on timely restoration, strengthening and revitalization of infrastructure,

housing and a sustainable economy, as well as the health, social,

cultural, historic and environmental fabric of communities affected by an

incident.


RECOVERY

Restoring the social and emotional equilibrium of the school community

Promote positive coping skills and resilience

It is essential to understand recovery at two levels: immediate and ongoing.

Recovery support needed will vary Age/gender,

degree of direct exposure to violence,

death or injury of a friend or family member,

previous traumatic life experiences,

and pre-existing history of anxiety and depression.

Work to maintain routines and social activitySlide information provided by Dr. Barbara Brady, WVDE

RECOVERY Involve local resources (law enforcement, emergency service personnel, faith-based

organizations, community service organizations)

Referrals to mental health and other agencies

Post-event planning … i.e. event anniversary

Schools need to keep students, families, and the media informed.

Let families and other community members know what support services the schools are providing or what other community resources are available.

Provide ongoing assessment of emotional needs of staff, students, and families.

Arrange for appropriate interventions by school or community-based service providers.**pg. 13 of Addressing Mental Health in Crisis Prevention & Response: A Resource Guide for WV Schools

RECOVERY Available services need to be identified for families,

who may want to seek treatment for their children or themselves.

Remember anniversaries of crises. Many occasions will remind staff, students, and families about crises.

Trauma experts discourage memorials to suicide victims to avoid glorification and sensationalization of these deaths.

Conduct daily debriefings for staff and others assisting in recovery.

Debriefings help staff cope with their own feelings of vulnerability.

**pg. 13-14 of Addressing Mental Health in Crisis Prevention & Response: A Resource Guide for WV Schools

Establishing a School Mental Health Crisis Team

The School Mental Health Crisis team (SMHCT) is a subgroup of each WV school’s primary school crisis team.

WVBE Policy 2315: Comprehensive School Counseling Programs sets forth requirements for a SMHCT and identifies the School Counselor as the primary coordinator for SMHCT.


Boone CountySchool Mental Health Crisis

Response Information

Boone County Schools Collaborative Approach

to the WVSMHC Template

Monthly School Counselor Meetings 2nd Monday of every month Secondary School Counselors 9:00-11:00 am Elementary School Counselors 1:00-3:00 pm

November: Draft copy of WV School Mental Health Crisis Plan Template was created using resources previously available and those mentioned in the Addressing Mental Health in Crisis Prevention & Response: A Resource guide for WV Schools guidance document. School Counselors and psychologists decided which crises

to prepare for. Please see available documents that played an integral role

for development.

Boone County Schools Collaborative Approach


December: WV School Mental Health Crisis Plan Template reviewed with school counselors for revisions, amendments, and suggestions.

January-June: Ongoing reviews, updates, meetings, enhancements, improvements, etc.

Recommended that school counselors conduct the WV School Mental Health Planning Team meeting following the schools Crisis Response Team meeting to review information. The schools’ Crisis Reponses Team is expected to meet once every nine weeks. Additionally, School Counselors to create a sign-in sheet to document team member attendance.

Let’s Review an Example…..

Please refer to handouts.

Boone County SchoolsWV Mental Health Crisis Plan:

Resources

Boone County Schools: Emergency Management Resource Guide

WV School Mental Health Crisis Template and Addressing Mental Health in Crisis Prevention & Response: A Resource guide for WV Schools document.

Annually Updated School Counselor and Psychologist contact list.

Annually Updated Crisis Counseling Intervention Team Assignment Schedule

Crisis Counseling Kit

Crisis Counseling Response Team Resource Guide

Crisis Counseling Kit

Other items included inCrisis Counseling Resource Guide

Disclosure Scripts

Sample Parent Communication Letter

Fill-in-the-Blank or Canned/Scripted Messages

Copy of WV School Mental Health Crisis Plan

Copy of Respective School Crisis Plan

HANDOUTS for school staff and parents regarding the following issues:

Death and Grief

Suicide: Postvention Strategies for School Personnel

Memorial Activities and Traumatic Events: Guidelines for Educators

Crisis: Helping Children Cope with Grief and Loss

http://www.samhsa.gov/

Is a wonderful place for free resources!!!!




Proposed Enhancements and Improvements:

Create Methodical Reunification procedures

Document: Standard reunification Method from the “I Love U Guys” foundation

Conduct and offer more Psychological First Aid trainings

Update annually utilizing a county-wide collaborative model

WV Mental Health Crisis Plan is always a working and living document!

Update and audit Crisis Counseling Kits

Proposed Enhancements and Improvements:

Include and add more crisis-specific information to Crisis Counseling Kit

Network with neighboring school systems to see if and how we can access their counselors/psychologists in case a large-scale crisis occurs requiring the response of more professionals

Conduct county-wide Crisis Mental Health forum inviting community stakeholders for a more systematic approach

WVDHHR Local Mental Health Providers WV Disaster Behavioral Health Response Coordinator American Red Cross Law Enforcement EMT

Upshur CountySchool Mental Health

Crisis Response Information

Upshur County Schools Collaborative Approach


Mental Health Inclusions in Overall Crisis Response Planning Counselors included as chain of command members at schools. Counselors, psychologists, and community service providers invited to

participate in bi-annual countywide emergency planning committee workshops.

Counselors included as members of crisis response planning teams at schools; these committees meet monthly.

November: Counselors and psychologists started with the existing F.A.C.T.S. manual; began revising manual for consistency with WVSMHC template. Existing manual identified the existing mental planning team and was

comprised of call trees and operational resources. School counselors and psychologists provided operational resources for

addition as appendices.

December: Upshur County’s SMHCP reviewed and submitted to WVDE.

On-Going: Counselor participation in drills and trainings.

Summer Months: All crisis response plans (including mental health plans) collected and updated. Plans are re-distributed at the start of the next school year.

Upshur County SchoolsF.A.C.T.S. Plan

Contents

Upshur County SchoolsMental Health Crisis Plan Resources

Identifying Severely Traumatized Children: Tips for Parents and Educators

Memorials: Special Considerations When Memorializing an Incident

Preventing Suicide in Troubled Children and Youth

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers

Responding to Natural Disasters: Helping Children and Families (Information for School Crisis Teams)

Youth Gun Violence Fact Sheet

Responsible Media Coverage of Crisis Events Impacting Children

Questions?

Suggestions?

Feedback?

Krystal Stollings

[email protected]

(304) 369-8278

mailto:[email protected]

technical assistance in developing the wv school mental health crisis plan krystal stollings, m.a.,...

Documents

wvde slide

school crisis team

crisis response

school crises

school wide

school counselor

crisis emergencies

barbara brady