Building Success and Resiliency: Preventing Tragedies

1
Building Success and Resiliency Preventing
Tragedies

• Scott Poland, N.S.U.
• Steve Rosenberg, P.S.I.

2
Statistics .

• The leading causes of death for children are
  accidents, homicide and suicide
• Adults have a responsibility to work on
  prevention at school and in homes and
  neighborhoods
• Children in the U.S. are dying in nearly record
  numbers

3
Recommendations for Parents

• Bring back the family meal
• Dont let technology steal your child
• Avoid setting their room up to be a kingdom
• Limit teen drivingsafe driving tips
• Know where your child is and know their friends
  and the parents--Network

4
More Recommendations

• Avoid putting children in the middle of divorce
• Importance of modelingGandhi quote
• Enjoy your children and let them know they are
  the sons and daughters you always wanted
• Make family the priority
• Dont micromanage about school issues

5
Reduce Bullying

• Repetitive
• Humiliating
• Physical and/or verbal
• Involves power
• New term bullicide
• Cyber bullying issues

6
Reduce Bullying.

• Turn the silent majority into a caring
  majority.

7
We must end the conspiracy of silence that
allows guns and weapons in our schools!
8
Choking Game

• The object is to cut off blood flow to carotid
  artery causing nearly or completely passing out,
  then releasing the pressure allowing the rush of
  blood back into the brain causing a lightheaded
  feeling resembling a quick high.

9
Warning Signs

• Frequent headaches.
• Bruises or abrasions on neck.
• Blood shot eyes or flushed face
• Agitated or aggressive moods
• Presence of strap, rope or belt without reason

www.gaspinfo.com
10
Important Points

• Choking game often done in pairs and can be
  contagious
• Most kids learn it from peers at school
• Need for increased supervision at school and in
  homes
• Question of are deaths suicides or accidents

11
Choking Game

• Estimate is that several hundred adolescents die
  each year www.gaspinfo.org
• Hanging deaths are on increase
• Many adolescents who do not use drugs see the
  choking game as acceptable
• Adolescents often seek thrills and communities
  need to provide recreational/adventure programs

12

PROTECTIVE FACTORS

• Good relationships with other youth
• Seeks adult help when needed
• Lack of access to suicidal means
• Access to mental health care
• Religiosity
• School environment that encourages help seeking
  and promotes health

13

PROTECTIVE FACTORS

• Family cohesion and stability
• Coping and problem solving skills
• Positive self worth and impulse control
• Positive connections to school and
  extracurricular participation
• Successful academically

14
Self Mutilation/Self Injury

• Episodic and complex behavior 4 to 19 of teens
  engage in SI
• Contagious
• Not as simple as tell them to stop
• Cutters report it calms them and stops them from
  suicide
• Adults need information/awareness
• Schools need local guidelines

15
New Breed (Walsh 2006)

• Normal attitude towards body image without
  hatred/alienation
• Onset ages 11 or 12 use single method
• 2 to 1 female wide range backgrounds
• No history of psychiatric treatment
• More receptive to treatment

16
What Do Kids Report?

• Want to feel concrete pain when psychological
  pain is overwhelming
• Reduces numbness
• Keeps trauma from intruding
• I cut so I will not kill myself

• Gets attention of others
• Discharges tension, anger and despair
• Gain a sense of control
• Punish myself
• Cutting is better than going out and getting
  drunk

17
Excerpts from Cutters Poem

• Turn up the music and set the mood
• Once is never enough
• Quivering with anticipation
• Watch it the drop spills over and runs down my
  arm
• Crimson orgasm---you seduce me every time Mr.
  Knife
• Sight of blood flow is central to experience

18
Helping Students Cope

• Recognize developmental level of students.
• Respond with patience and love.
• Answer questions but dont overwhelm with too
  much information.

19
Helping Students Cope, cont..

• Adults need to model calmness and reassure
  children of their safety.
• Provide activities and projects that allow them
  to express feelings.
• Recognize the value of diversity.
• Model tolerance and avoid stereotyping.
• Re-establish routines quickly.
• More resources www.nasponline.org

20
Geographical Proximity
Outside the disaster area
Within hearing distance
Near the disaster area
Direct exposure
21
Psychosocial Proximity
Identification with or similarity to victims
Acquaintance
Near family or close friend
Immediate family
22
Population at Risk
Oversensitive
Difficult personal or social crisis
Significant loss in the past year
Recent or similar trauma
23
Circles of Vulnerability
Geographical Proximity
Population at Risk
Psychosocial Proximity
24
Resiliency

• Learned behavior
• Importance of being surrounded by caring family
  and friends
• Utilize coping skills and vent strong emotions
• Keep an optimistic view
• www.apa.org

25

• Recognize that all children need
• three or more significant adults in their lives
  in addition to parents.
• a sense of safety and belonging in the home,
  school, and community.
• three or more hours of organized activities
  weekly.
• Adolescents need volunteer work

26
National adolescent survey found students
disconnected from school more likely to engage
in

• Substance abuse
• Sexual activity
• violence

27
School Disconnection Results From

• Large schools
• Lack of extracurricular participation
• Lack of belonging
• Low academic achievement
• Discipline problems

28
Building Relationships

• Key is knowing students well
• What are students hopes and dreams?
• Maslows hierarchy of needs

29
We must reach out to the unreachable!Craig
ScottColumbine Survivor
30
spoland_at_nova.edupsisr_at_aol.comwww.psi-solution
s.com