Managing the Psychological Aftermath of School Incidents

1
Managing the Psychological Aftermath of School
Incidents
2
Background

• Following a traumatic incident
• Students and school personnel may exhibit
  symptoms of psychological stress.
• Reactions will vary by age group.
• Many victims will successfully cope with the
  traumatic experience over time.
• A small percentage may continue to exhibit trauma
  symptoms, which can indicate post-traumatic
  stress disorder (PTSD).

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Addressing Psychological Trauma

• Identify at-risk students and school personnel.
• Develop partnerships with local mental health
  practitioners.
• Strengthen and encourage peer support.

4
Supporting Recovery

• Encourage students to talk about disaster-related
  events.
• Promote positive coping and problem-solving
  skills.
• Encourage friendship and peer support among
  students.

5
Preschool and Elementary Symptoms

• Common symptoms of psychological trauma include
• Thumb sucking
• Sleep disturbances
• Clinginess
• Loss of appetite
• Regression in behavior
• Irritability or aggressiveness
• Withdrawal
• School avoidance
• Poor concentration

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Preschool and Elementary Strategies

• Help students recover by
• Planning activities (e.g., scrapbooks) to help
  students organize chaotic and confusing feelings
  and events.
• Encouraging physical activity to relieve tension
  and anxiety.
• Asking students to draw, write, or listen to
  stories about the incident, then discuss their
  feelings.

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Middle and High School Symptoms

• Common symptoms of psychological trauma include
• Sleep disturbances
• Eating disturbances
• Agitation
• Increase in conflicts
• Physical complaints
• Delinquent behavior
• Poor concentration

8
Middle and High School Strategies

• Help students recover by
• Following the basic strategies described for
  younger students.
• Using art, music, or poetry to describe
  experiences and express feelings.
• Encouraging students to keep a journal, or write
  and produce a play or a video.

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Prevention Resources
www.nasponline.org
www.fema.gov
www.extension.uiuc.edu
www.nimh.nih.gov
10
School Emergency Operations Plan
What sections of the school EOP relate to
psychological trauma and recovery?
Are these procedures complete and current?
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Next Steps
How can we improve our efforts to address
psychological trauma after a school incident?