Preparation is an essential component of a crisis intervention model. Each school should have a crisis response team that is trained to respond to different types of crisis, including a school shooting or child abduction. You can implement school drills to allow students and faculty members to prepare a response to a simulated threat, such as violence or fire. You can also launch campaigns that teach children about drug and alcohol addiction, bullying, and suicide or dangerous behaviors to provide them with effective conflict resolution strategies.
The impact phase is the point at which an action occurs that causes a crisis. This is usually a time of great distress and confusion, especially during a life-threatening situation. It is during this phase that the crisis response team members perform their individual and collective responsibilities to isolate the threat and get all students, faculty and staff away from danger. In this phase, it is wise to notify parents and take steps to deescalate the situation.
The integration phase begins after the incident has occurred. The primary goal is to help everyone affected by the tragedy accept what happened and find healthy ways to move forward with their lives. You should provide personnel who attempt to identify and treat depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms caused by the trauma. You may also offer mental health evaluations and counseling on a short- or long-term basis to facilitate the recovery of those affected. You can use the assessment of the crisis as a learning tool to reinforce useful procedures and correct those that failed to deliver expected results.
Schools should provide guidelines for the members of the crisis response team to explain the roles and responsibilities of each position. These guidelines should clearly state the actions to be taken in the event of a crisis, such as criminal activity or natural disaster. The protocols for providing information to students, faculty and the public, as well as the protocols for providing psychological services to students, should be explicitly recorded in the school crisis response plan.