Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) in Schools Training

Skills for Psychological Recovery for Children and Youth in Schools (SPR-S) Master Trainer: Douglas W Walker, PhD

Description:

The Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is an evidence-informed intervention that is intended to foster long-term adaptive coping in disaster survivors who are exhibiting moderate levels of distress, by offering simplified, brief application of skills that are commonly related to improved recovery in post-disaster/emergency settings.

Skills for Psychological Recovery is intended to follow the acute implementation of Psychological First Aid, by supporting long-term resiliency in children, adolescents and adults. Training in SPR has been extremely well-received by counselors working in many crisis counseling programs following hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquake, tsunami, floods, mass shootings, and man-made disasters. Designed to be provided by non mental health personnel, SPR has become widely utilized in the United States and Australia to help individuals and communities rebuild their sense of resiliency in the months and years following a disaster.

Skills for Psychological Recovery was designed by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD to provide an evidence-informed approach for reinforcing long-term resiliency in children, adolescents, and adults post-disaster. The Skills for Psychological Recovery for Children and Youth in Schools (SPR-S) adaptation takes advantage of small student groups to promote a psycho-educational curriculum designed to reinforce resiliency in schools, families and the larger community. Designed currently for students over the age of 10, groups meet weekly for one hour for 10-12 weeks. Groups discuss and practice positive coping strategies for life’s stressors which include: Building Problem-Solving Skills, Promoting Positive Activities, Managing Reactions, Promoting Helpful Thinking and Rebuilding Healthy Social Connections. Supported by the group process, SPR-S has adapted games and fun activities to reinforce psycho-educational concepts introduced to group members. Group members who have successfully completed SPR for Schools have seen a decrease in depression and anxiety levels and an increase in the implementation of positive coping methods in order to better handle these stressors. Additionally, graduates of SPR-S for Schools have reported that they feel more confident in their abilities to handle future adversities.

Objectives:

• Participants will be provided with the standard SPR manual and SPR-S adaptation materials.
• At the end of the day-long training, participants will be able to teach the rationale and psycho-educational curriculum of Skills for Psychological Recovery for Children and Youth in Schools (SPR-S).
• With a focus on implementation, participants will leave the training with the materials, training and confidence to initiate SPR-S in their schools to support intermediate and long-term resiliency in their schools and larger school communities.
• Participants who complete the training will receive a Skills for Psychological Recovery for Children and Youth in Schools (SPR-S) educational certificate.