This workshop is for a multi-disciplinary team of mental health and educational professionals working at all grade levels in your district, such as administrators, security professionals, counselors, teachers, nurses and other staff involved in school safety/crisis prevention/crisis preparedness efforts.

This 2-day workshop develops the knowledge and skills required to provide immediate mental health crisis interventions to the students, staff, and school community members who have been simultaneously exposed to an acute traumatic stressor. The knowledge and skill developed within this session also help to build a bridge to the psychotherapeutic and trauma-informed mental health response sometimes required to address challenges associated with trauma exposure. This workshop is an excellent course for all mental health professionals in your district who provide mental health crisis intervention services. 

This workshop will help participants: 1. Report reduced anxiety and fear associated with the provisions of school mental health crisis interventions; 2. Report increased knowledge and confidence associated with the provisions of school mental health crisis interventions; 3. Identify variables that help to estimate the number of individuals traumatized by a crisis; 4. Recognize the difference between common crises and mental illness; 5. Identify the elements of school crisis preparedness specified by the PREPaRE acronym; 6. Recognize risk factors that predict psychological trauma; 7. Identify the warning signs that indicate psychological trauma; 8. Place PREPaRE mental health crisis interventions on a multi-tiered continuum ranging from least to most restrictive; and 9. Match the degree of psychological trauma risk to the appropriate school crisis interventions. 

Specifically, the PREPaRE model emphasizes that members of a school crisis response team must be involved in the following hierarchical and sequential set of activities:

Prevent and prepare for crisis

Reaffirm physical health and welfare, and perceptions of safety and security

Evaluate psychological trauma risk

Provide interventions

and

Respond to mental health needs

Examine the effectiveness of crisis preparedness

Prerequisite: Participants are expected to complete a pre-test prior to the workshop in the NASP online professional development system (link will be sent prior to the workshop).

Materials: Materials will be downloadable from the NASP website following completion of pre-workshop requirements. The materials fee is included in the $425 registration fee.