Date: December 12, 2024
Location: Bootstrapper Hall, Thompson Alumni Center, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 6705 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182
Format: In person only
Presenter: Dr. David Schonfeld [schoolcrisiscenter.org], Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement [schoolcrisiscenter.org], Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
SESSION 1
Time: 8:00 AM-12:15 PM
Agenda:
- 8:00-8:30 AM: Check-in, registration, and breakfast
- 8:30-8:45 AM: Welcome
- 8:45-10:45 AM: Segment 1 – Supporting students in the aftermath of crisis and loss
- 10:45-11:00 AM: Break
- 11:00 AM-12:00 PM: Segment 2 – Professional self-care and commemoration and memorialization in school settings
- 12:00-12:15 PM: Concluding Remarks and Wrap-up
Target Audience: Training for school personnel and medical professionals (e.g., nurses, APPs, physicians) on practical approaches to support recovery and renewal after school violence and other crises occur
Continuing Education: Nursing, physician assistant, psychologist, social work
Title: Supporting students, staff, and ourselves in the aftermath of crisis and loss
Session Description:
Crisis and loss are common in the lives of students, whether due to a death or crisis involving a student’s individual family, or one that affects the entire school community. Yet they have the potential to cause short- and long-term effects on the psychological functioning, emotional adjustment, health, and developmental trajectory of children. School professionals can play a vital role in providing important support to students to promote their understanding of the event, help them learn coping strategies to accelerate their adjustment and minimize their distress, and minimize maladaptive coping mechanisms and behavioral difficulties. This session will provide practical advice on how to help students and staff cope with the impact of a crisis, including identifying and addressing the common reactions that can be expected. Emphasis will be placed on universal supports and incorporating the principles of psychological first aid.
The distinction between trauma and grief and the implications it has for supporting grieving students will be highlighted. Practical advice will be provided on how to support grieving students covering a wide range of topics, including: what not to stay, considerations related to grief across different cultures, identifying and addressing guilt, appropriate academic accommodations, managing grief triggers, and grief in children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disorders. Free resources for addressing these issues and many others from the Coalition to Support Grieving Students will be shared.
Adults are generally impacted by school and community crisis events at least as much as the students. It is therefore critical that school professionals take care of themselves and their colleagues in ways that recognize the challenges of this work and minimize compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and moral injury.
The benefits, principles and practical considerations of commemoration and memorialization in a school setting will be discussed. Considerations related to the timing of activities, how best to include the input of students, balancing the often different views and needs of the victims’ families and the school community, and the benefits and challenges of different means of commemoration and memorialization will be reviewed.
The presenter will draw on examples from over 30 years responding to school and community crises. Ample time will be available for questions and discussion involving participants.
Global Objectives:
- Explain the role of universal supports (Tier 1 services) and interprofessional collaboration in promoting resilience and emotional recovery in students and staff after a school crisis, while avoiding over-reliance on medical models of diagnosis and treatment.
- Discuss the importance of psychological first aid and basic supportive services to promoting adjustment after a crisis and minimizing traumatic stress and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
- Differentiate between trauma and grief and their unique impacts and identify collaborative strategies to support emotional recovery for both in students.
- Prioritize self-care and well-being for educators and other staff, including ourselves, integrating strategies to prevent compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and moral injury during crisis management.
- Discuss considerations for commemoration and memorialization after a school crisis, balancing the input from school staff, families, and mental health professionals to meet the needs of the community.
SESSION 2
Time: 2:00-5:00 PM
Agenda:
- 2:00-2:30 PM: Check-in and registration
- 2:30-4:30 PM: Program
- 4:30-5 PM: Wrap-up and refreshment reception
Target Audience: School leaders and city officials (e.g., principals, vice principals)
Continuing Education: None
Title: Leading During Times of Crisis: How to Support Children, Staff, and Ourselves
Session Description: Leading During Times of Crisis: How to Support Children, Staff, and Ourselves (120 minutes)
Crisis and loss are common in the lives of students, whether due to a death or crisis involving a student’s individual family, or one that affects the entire school community. These experiences can have significant impact on children’s capacity to learn in the classroom setting which can be helped with accommodations by educators. Educators and other school professionals can play a vital role in providing important support to students to promote their understanding of the event, help them learn coping strategies to accelerate their adjustment and minimize their distress, and minimize maladaptive coping mechanisms and behavioral difficulties. Yet most educators and other school professionals have had limited to no professional training in how to support students in the aftermath of crisis and loss.
This session for school leaders will provide practical advice on how to help students, staff, and school leaders cope with the impact of a crisis. Emphasis will be placed on universal supports and the principles of psychological first aid will be introduced. The common reactions that can be expected among students and staff will be summarized and the differences between trauma and loss highlighted. Practical information on how to talk to and support grieving students will be reviewed and free resources from the Coalition to Support Grieving Students (www.grievingstudents.org) introduced.
In many ways, adults are impacted at least as much as students – and often more so – by school crisis events. This session will discuss the impact on adults within the school system, including the unique challenges experienced by leaders during a crisis and throughout the recovery and renewal period, and offer some suggestions of how to address the barriers to self-care among school administrators and other school leaders. The presenter, David J Schonfeld, MD, established and directs the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (www.schoolcrisiscenter.org). He will draw on over 30 years’ experience in pediatric bereavement and school crisis response to provide examples and answer questions from participants.
Global Objectives:
- Support students, staff, and school leaders in the aftermath of crisis by applying the principles of psychological first aid and providing practical strategies that promote emotional adjustment and resilience.
- Differentiate between trauma and loss in crisis situations and use effective communication tools and resources, such as the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, to address grief and foster recovery within the school community.
- Promote self-care and well-being for school leaders and professionals by recognizing the unique challenges they face during crises and applying strategies to overcome barriers to self-care and manage the pressures of leadership.
SESSION 3
Time: 6:00-7:45 PM
Agenda:
- 6:00-6:30 PM: Check-in and registration
- 6:30-7:30 PM: Program
- 7:30-7:45 PM: Wrap-up and refreshment reception
Target Audience: Parents, caregivers, and community members interested in learning how to support their children
***Child-friendly activities will be provided and event staff/facilitators will be available for youth 12 years and younger.
Continuing Education: None
Title: Talking to and Supporting Your Children in the Aftermath of Crisis or Loss: A Caregiver’s Guide
Session Description: (60 minutes)
This session will outline some of the common adjustment reactions among children in the aftermath of crisis events – whether due to a violent incident or natural disaster, or a wide range of other school, community, and personal/family crisis events. The common adjustment reactions to anticipate, as well as practical suggestions on how to address them, will be reviewed. Advice will be provided on how to talk to and support your children to help them cope with both the trauma and loss seen in the aftermath of these crisis events, as well as grief from the death of a close family member or friend outside the context of a broader crisis. The presenter will offer examples from over 30 years’ experience in providing support to schools, communities and families in the aftermath of a wide range of school and community crisis events and provide time for questions and discussion. Together, we will consider how best to assist your children to adapt and cope.
Global Objectives:
- Recognize common adjustment reactions that may be seen in children after a crisis or loss and appreciate why children may be reluctant to share theses reactions with family members and how to help them feel more comfortable doing so.
- Be able to initiate effective conversations with children and youth after the death of a close family member or friend, knowing what to say and what not to say.
- Understand why guilt is common after crisis and loss for children (and adults).
- Know how to request appropriate educational accommodations and academic supports for students after a crisis or loss.
