Here are top resources for school psychologists on how to help your school community return to school after a crisis.

<h2>Tools to Help Your School Community Heal</h2><p>As a school psychologist, you’ll be a huge part of the coping and healing process if your school community experiences trauma. It’s critical to have a plan in place well in advance of any unforeseen crisis like a school shooting, public health emergency, severe weather, act of terrorism, or death of a member of the school. You’ll likely help lead the charge to help protect the mental health and well-being of students as they cope with the crisis and return to school.</p><p>All members of your school community, whether they’re children, teens or adults – students, teachers, support staff or administrators, will need time to process and talk about the events. They won’t be able to jump back into learning immediately. They’ll need a safe space to begin to heal. And you’ll need to take care of yourself as well. That’s why having an advance strategy is so critical.</p><p>To help you create a tailored plan for returning to school after a crisis, we’ve selected these three top resources with research-based guidance on dealing with trauma.</p><h2>Top 3 Resources for Returning to School After a Crisis</h2><h3>National Center for School Safety</h3><p><a href="https://bja.ojp.gov/library/publications/returning-school-after-crisis-guide-addressing-traumatic-events-school" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Returning to School After a Crisis: A Guide to Addressing Traumatic Events at School</a> is a downloadable 16-page guide from the National Center for School Safety and the U.S. Department of Justice.</p><p>The guide covers:</p><ul><li>Best practices in having conversations with students about the traumatic event</li><li>Steps for discussing the event</li><li>Strategies for managing trauma and stress responses</li><li>Warning signs of suicide and mental health risks</li><li>Supporting students on their first day back</li><li>Stress management techniques</li><li>Mental health and crisis resources</li><li>Student resources</li></ul><p>For example, when <strong>returning to school on the first day back after a crisis</strong>:</p><ol><li>Give students time to discuss at the beginning and end of the day.</li><li>Limit time spent on the discussion to keep students from becoming fatigued.</li><li>Normalize feelings and emotions.</li><li>Model your own emotions by saying, “I am feeling ___. What about you?”</li><li>Use feelings pictures if needed.</li><li>Provide crayons and paper to let children draw and express their feelings.</li><li>Live practical suggestions to help them feel in control of the present moment.</li><li>Let them know it is ok to cry.</li></ol><h3>National Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)</h3><p><a href="https://www.pbis.org/resource/returning-to-school-during-and-after-crisis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Supporting Schools During and After Crisis: A Guide to Supporting States, Districts, Schools, Educators, and Students through a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Framework </a> is a resource from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.</p><p>The guide covers:</p><ul><li>Practices to support students’ social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) growth and learning</li><li>Ways to implement key systems to support educators and students across</li><li>Guidance for state, district and school leadership teams as well as educators</li><li>Examples of practices for remote and in-person learning</li></ul><p>For example, when returning to school after a crisis:</p><ol><li>Hold team meetings to address rapidly changing needs</li><li>Monitor team member wellness</li><li>Provide professional development activities for staff focused on evidence-based practices</li><li>Implement SEB coaching plans</li><li>Screen for students who need more intensive academic and non-academic supports</li><li>Examine disaggregated data to promote equity</li><li>Promote staff and student wellness and relationships</li></ol><h3>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</h3><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/school-return-after.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Returning to School After an Emergency or Disaster: Tips to Help Your Students Cope</a> provide advice from the CDC and links to multiple resources.</p><p>The page houses links to resources on:</p><ul><li>Coping after a disaster activity pages</li><li>Helping children cope in emergencies</li><li>Red Cross disaster relief and recovery services</li><li>NIH coping with traumatic events</li><li>Steps to protect children during emergencies during the school day</li><li>FEMA coping with disasters</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The article advises that educators should:</p><ol><li>Talk to students in a way they can understand that is age appropriate.</li><li>Learn about common reactions by age range.</li><li>Encourage students to share and ask questions.</li><li>React calmly and confidently to instill security.</li><li>Be aware that some children may become upset again if reminded of the disaster.</li></ol><p>Hopefully, you won’t face a crisis at your school and will not have to use these resources. However, bookmarking these pages and using the information to create a plan can help ensure you’ll be prepared to help keep your school community healthy and well.</p><p>Find out where your specialized skills are needed most across the nation: see our latest <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/job-search-results?what=SLP&amp;&amp;where=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">school psychologist jobs</a>!</p>

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School Psychologist Resources: Returning to School After a Crisis

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