ABSTRACT
All schools need to be prepared to respond to crises such as violent attacks, natural and technological disasters, vehicle crashes, severe injuries, suicides, sudden deaths and other negative events that occur on or off school grounds that negatively impact members of school communities. With this in mind, the first step toward effective crisis response or intervention is proactive crisis preparation. Thus, Chapter 17 covered ways that educators can prepare for a range of crises. This chapter expands on crisis prevention to discuss how educators and other members of school communities can effectively respond to crises as they unfold, as well as how to help school communities recover in the aftermath. In particular, best-practice recommendations for assessment and triage, active outreach, and recovery are covered (Brymer, Pynoos, Vivrette, & Taylor, 2012). Additionally, the five empirically supported elements of crisis intervention that have been identified by Hobfoll et al. (2007) will structure this chapter as well as material covered in the PREPaRE school crisis intervention training curriculum by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Moreover, discussion and suggestions in regard to how to deal with loss of life and how to help all impacted individuals cope with loss and grief in the aftermath of tragic events will be provided.
