ABSTRACT
The school psychologist’s crisis-intervention roles and responsibilities have received increasing attention during the past decade (Brock, Lazarus, and Jimerson, 2002). For example, it has recently become a training, field placement, and credentialing standard (National Association of School Psychologists, 2000). Given this increased attention, it is important to ensure that a solid crisis intervention foundation is built for those who provide these services. This chapter attempts to help lay such a foundation by offering an overview of the characteristics and consequences of crisis events with special emphasis on their impact upon schools. First, this chapter addresses crisis event characteristics and identifies situations that may require school crisis intervention. Then it discusses indicators of the need for crisis intervention, including
1. common signs of distress, 2. crisis reactions and maladaptive coping strategies that indicate a
need for immediate assistance from a mental health professional,
3. possible psychopathological outcomes related to crises, and finally,
4. consequences unique to crises that affect schools.
