Crisis Management in Schools a New Working Area for School Psychologists

1
Crisis Management in Schools a New Working Area
for School Psychologists
Reactions after traumatizing events somatic shock,
desorientation, numbness fight or
flee unconditioned somatic reactions (stomach,
digestion) hyperventilation sleepless,
exhaustion Highly excited psychic anxiety and
horror anger, wrath, aggression confusion,
frustration guilt feelings and self
reproaches shame and humiliation worries

• Traumatizing events
• Are exceptional
• not, because they are rare
• - but because they impair the normal ability to
  adjust

Sad and despaired students after a mad run in
Freising/Munic 2002
Trauma hinders or prevents Learning

Reaction pattern In the brain when existencially
threatened


Cortex Sensoric
Cognitive
Integration

Absorption/Attention
Sensor. Thalamus
Amygdala
Hippocampus
visual acustic olfactoric kinesthetic gustatoric
Hypothalamus

CRF
Hypophyse
Stimulus
ACTH
Cortisol
Suprarenal gland
Cortisol
CRF Corticotropin-Releasing Factor ACTH
Adrenocorticotrope Hormone Aus Peter Fiedler,
Dissoziative Störungen und Konversion, S. 86

• The training consists of the following
• methods and strategies
• Copings BASIC-PH
• (Belief, Affect, Social, Imagination,
  Cognitive, Physical)
• circles of vulnerability and support
• group crisis Intervention (according to NOVA)
• dealing with the Media
• cooperation and teamwork, preparation of
  networks
• Safety analysis
• Psycho-education
• Crisis management
• Advanced courses focus on dealing wiith suicide,
  bullying and violence prevention.

• What can be done
• Specially trained school psychologists can
  offer psychological first aid.
• Optimal damage limitation will be achieved.
• Some of the affected can be led out of trauma
  effects faster.
• Some heavily traumatized persons can be referred
  to therapy.
• School psychologsts have the best training and
  most experience with working and counseling in
  school schools.

2
A Chnce for International Collaboration
Crisis Intervention Principles active direct cont
roled empathatic network with helpers own
resources
Help for Helpers Team work Supervision Self
reflexion Evaluation Personal limits
Crisis Management requires team work And
promotes collaboration among colleagues Crisis
Management promotes Networks regional,
national, and international Crisis Management
makes internationale collaboration more
significant
Organisation of Courses for Crisis Managment in
Schools International School Psychology
Association European Committee
Participants so far Trento 2003, Nyborg 2004,
Innsbruck 2004 Frantiskovy Lazne 2005, Athens
2005 Tampere 2007 Austria 6 Hungary 2 Demark 3
Latvia 2 France 4 Poland 2 Germany 65 Romani
a 2 The Netherlands 26 Finland 2 Switze
rland 13 UK 12 Slovenia 2 Lebanon 1 Palestin
e 1 USA 1 Total 144
N Y B O O R G 2 0 0 4
The first Advanced Training took place in Long
Beach, L.A. California in April 2006 after the
NASP convention .It focussed on suicide,
bullying, threats, prevention, safe school
climate, and promoting networks regional,
national and international.

• Who is eligible for COMENIUS funding
• Conditions for particpation
• Participants must be school psychologits
• They must be from countries of the EU
• There must be participants from at least three
  countries
• The maximum number from one country is 10
• There should be atleast 2 from one country who
  work together
• Presentations are in English, simulations either
  in English or in the native language of groups
  participating

Application procedure Application to
ISPA Bernhard Meissner (meissner_at_ispaweb.org
In countries where crisis management groups
exist the teams will suggest priorities if more
from their country want to paticipate than there
are open places. You get back preliminary
acceptance from Bernhard Meissner With this and
other documents you apply to the national
COMENIUS agency From there you get aproval for
funds or refusal. Maximum grant is 1500 for
travel, accommodation and seminar fee

• Next Courses
• Ground courses
• Budapest, Hungary, October 1- 7, 2007
• Utrecht, The Netherlands, July 12 18, 2008
• Bukuresti, Romania, October 2008
• Eastern Europe (countries outside the EU)
  sponsored
• Advanced course
• Czech Republic, May 2008