A Crisis Support Plan is different than a crisis intervention or prevention plan. Crisis Support Plans detail what will happen once the immediate event is over to make sure everyone has the information and support they need to recover from the incident.
Create a Crisis Support Team that represents all constituencies
In
a school, this should include administrators, teachers, school social
workers or school counselors, office staff, custodial staff, and anyone
else who is good in a crisis. In a community organization such as a
non-profit, a church or a business, your team should include people in
leadership positions, representatives of all the different job roles
(paid or volunteer), and others whose expertise and availability are
assured in an emergency. If your organization does not have mental health professionals on staff, you will need to partner with an individual or organization who can help you in the event of an emergency.
Train your team
Standard training for social workers, counselors and others in mental health does not include responding to acute traumatic stress reactions. Research shows that those who are trained in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) are significantly more effective in relieving distress in those exposed to trauma than those without CISM training.
Ask "what if?"
Identify what sorts of tragedies are most likely to affect people in your organization, as well as those that are most dangerous
to your institution. Think through what you would do if each of these
occurred. Who would you call? Where would you meet? How would you
keep track of information? Who will need information and support? What are the holes in your plan, and how
can you identify resources to fix them?
Practice, practice, practice
Drills
aren't just for fire anymore. Practice, for example, receiving word of
the death of someone in your community. Run it through. Who can you
reach? Who do you tell and how? If you work with children, how do you communicate with kids about tragedy? Who helps those most distressed? Who does their job while they are receiving help? Who answers the phone, and what do you tell those calling? This practice helps you identify things you still need to work on, and swing into action when the time comes.
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