Responding to Bereavement and Loss Presentation Goals Introduction
Responding to Bereavement and Loss
Presentation Goals Introduction to the topic • Planning for bereavement and loss • Common manifestations of bereavement and loss in children • Factors that may impact bereavement Connection to the six step planning process Summary and next steps
Planning for Bereavement and Loss (1 of 3) According to the 2013 Indicators of School Crime and Safety, the following figures for homicides and suicides of youth ages 5 to 18 represent the number of schoolrelated deaths from 1992 to 2011 : § § § 71, 773 = total youth homicides and suicides; 36, 876 = suicides away from school; 108 = suicides at school; 34, 377 = homicides away from school; 412 = homicides at school; and 863 = total student, staff, and nonstudent schoolrelated violent deaths.
Planning for Bereavement and Loss (2 of 3) Schools should plan for bereavement and loss because they: Provide a familiar environment, and because members of the school staff already have relationships with students; Serve large numbers of students; Already offer a variety of support services with many trained staff; Monitor students over time and refer them for services; Can gauge whether or not certain losses will impact multiple groups of students; and Are able to provide bereavement counseling, and parents may prefer to partake in counseling at their children’s school rather than at a community mental health facility.
Planning for Bereavement and Loss (3 of 3) Protocols and procedures to address bereavement and loss should be developed prior to an actual loss because: § It is difficult to make decisions during emergency situations, since one’s judgment may be affected by one’s emotional state; § It is difficult to provide training to staff while they are grieving; and § Support services from community-based agencies are more likely to begin immediately.
Common Manifestations of Loss in Students Immediately After a Death Cognitive Emotional § Repeated § Increased worries questions, about the welldiscussion, or being of others, storytelling about and fears about the loss other losses § Increased interest § Grief related to in media similar losses, or coverage to previous or § Trigger-reminders concurrent crises of loss or trauma § A range of feelings by other events (sadness, anger, § Trouble guilt) may occur understanding simultaneously Behavioral § Changes in school performance § Decreased concentration and attention § Mood swings § Changes in sleep, appetite, and daily activities § Increased withdrawal § Changes in social interactions Physical Headaches Stomachaches Fatigue Vague aches and pains § Sleeplessness § §
Developmental Factors That Impact Bereavement § A student’s response to a loss may have different manifestations depending on the age and developmental stage of the student. § Developmental considerations include: o Responses to the death; and o Behavior changes after the death.
Additional Factors that Impact Bereavement § The student’s personality § Current coping skills § History of personal difficulties or difficulties at school § Available support systems § Type of death § Type of relationship with the deceased
Connection to the Six Step Planning Process
Step 1: Form a Collaborative Planning Team Members of the collaborative planning team should include: § A wide range of school personnel, including staff who have specialized expertise in bereavement and loss (e. g. , counselors, social workers, and psychologists); § Parent and student representatives; § Individuals and organizations representing the diverse interests of students, parents, faculty and staff; § Community partners, including practitioners who are knowledgeable about bereavement and loss (e. g. , community mental health practitioners).
Step 2: Understand the Situation Examples of the threats and hazards that can become emotional triggers for members of the school community who have had a recent loss include: § A devastating weather event or earthquake that results in casualties; § A violent incident at school (e. g. , resulting from an active shooter situation or gang activity) that leads to a student’s death; and/or § A suicide.
Steps 3 & 4: Determine Goals and Objectives & Identify Courses of Action Step 4: Plan Development (Identifying Courses of Action Step 3: Determine Goals and Objectives Cross-cutting functions to address bereavement and loss SCHOOL EOP BASIC PLAN FUNCTIONAL ANNEXES THREAT- AND HAZARD-SPECIFIC ANNEXES
Functional Annexes § Communications and Warning § Lockdown § Evacuation § Accounting for All Persons § Security § Family Reunification § Recovery § Shelter-in-Place § Continuity of Operations § Public Health, Medical, and Mental Health
Recovery Annex This annex addresses how to recover from an emergency. It specifically addresses: § § Academic recovery; Physical recovery; Fiscal recovery; and Psychological and emotional recovery. This particular subsection of the Recovery Annex should address bereavement and loss—both before and after a school tragedy.
Bereavement and Loss Subsection of Recovery Annex (1 of 2) Before a tragedy occurs in the school community, schools and districts should: Create a crisis response team; Establish policies to address bereavement and loss; and Be aware of cultural and religious perspectives on death.
1. Create a Crisis Response Team Include a cross-section of personnel from the school community. School administrator School counselor/ psychologist § Front office staff § Nurse § § Transportation representative § Maintenance representative § Spokesperson (public information officer) § The size of your team can be expanded or reduced according to the nature and intensity of the situation.
2. Establish Policies Outline strategies for addressing “empty chairs. ” Consider a district policy for memorials. Establish process for obtaining parental consent for mental health services. Outline a process for managing key dates. Establish a system for the management of volunteers and donations.
3. Be Aware of Cultural and Religious Perspectives on Death Mourning rituals differ. Customs and views on death vary widely.
Bereavement and Loss Subsection of Recovery Annex (2 of 2) After a tragedy occurs in the school community, schools and districts should: Provide support to staff Provide support to students Take immediate steps to address the situation Convene the crisis response team to assess the situation
1. Convene the Crisis Response Team to Assess the Situation § Convene the crisis response team. § Assess the situation, including: o The impact of the death on the social circles of the deceased; and o The magnitude of the event.
2. Take Immediate Steps to Address the Situation § Identify impacted students. § Arrange for a substitute teacher to support staff. § Create a support room, and ensure that support supplies are available. § Use external mental health supports. § Determine the school schedule: o Maintain normal routines as much as possible. o Avoid canceling school and after-school activities since being at school may be the best intervention for students. o Encourage teachers to postpone exams and major assignments, and to create alternative assignments as necessary.
3. Provide Support to Students Designate a classroom or office space as a support room where students can speak with counselors individually or in small groups Make available grief support groups at school or refer students to community-based supports. Remember that some remarks help and others hinder. Be aware that students may need different types of responses and interventions.
4. Provide Support to Staff § Be cognizant of caregiver burnout/compassion fatigue/secondary traumatic stress. § Support the resiliency of educators by providing them with resources on self-care. § Continue to monitor the need to call in back-up. § Be aware that loss and trauma are cumulative. § Hold after-school staff meetings in the days following.
One Model of Support: Psychological First Aid for Students (PFA-S) Core Action 1: Contact and Engagement Core Action 2: Safety and Comfort Core Action 3: Stabilization Core Action 4: Information Gathering Core Action 5: Practical Assistance Core Action 6: Connection with Social Supports Core Action 7: Information on Coping Core Action 8: Link with Collaborative Services
Another Model of Support: Psychological First Aid – Listen, Protect, Connect (PFA-LPC) Listen: Listen and pay attention to students’ behavior. Protect: Support students and provide a safe environment. Connect: Encourage students to connect with others. Model: Be aware of how the situation affects you. Teach: Talk to students about common responses to death and about what they can expect during the grieving process.
Communications and Warning Annex (1 of 2) Before a school tragedy occurs: § Create template letters. o Ensure that each death is handled in the same way, without favoritism or judgment of anyone. o Templates can be adapted to include specific details about a death.
Communications and Warning Annex (2 of 2) After a school tragedy occurs: § Verify the facts and determine the details you will share; § Notify staff; § Notify students and parents/guardians; and § Manage the media’s access to your school.
1. Verify the facts and determine the details you will share. Verify the facts about a student’s or staff member’s death with family members and, as appropriate, law enforcement personnel. Work with the family of the deceased to determine which details surrounding the death should be made public. Determine the details that are appropriate to share with your school community (especially when the death is a suicide).
2. Notify staff. Inform staff first. Use phone trees to notify your school community. Schedule a staff meeting before school starts. Provide front office staff with the information that is appropriate for them to share. § Consider holding a follow-up staff meeting. § Provide staff with basic information as well as scripts and guidelines, if necessary. § §
3. Notify students and parents/guardians. Notify students: § Be truthful and direct. § Have familiar adults share information in small class settings. § Have a plan to notify off-campus students. § Avoid making an announcement over the public announcement (PA) system or notifying students during a school assembly. Notify parents/guardians: § Consider holding a parent meeting. § Use a template to create a notification letter for parents and guardians.
4. Manage the media’s access to your school. Keep media away from on-campus students. Manage the media’s access to your campus. Use the single point of contact that was created for your school site or district to exchange information and address media relations issues. Ensure that you adhere to all privacy laws.
Public Health, Medical, and Mental Health Annex Before a school tragedy occurs, develop partnerships with external mental health providers. § Identify external partners and develop relationships. § Outline partnership agreements with relevant local partners. § Identify a school/district employee to coordinate partnerships with the community (i. e. , a community liaison).
STEPS 5 & 6: Plan Preparation, Review, & Approval and Plan Implementation & Maintenance Share the plan with stakeholders in the school system as well as community partners (i. e. , mental health practitioners). Train appropriate staff on: § The psychological/emotional aspects of recovery; § The school’s referral system; and § HIPAA and FERPA.
Summary A planned response to bereavement and loss should be part of a high-quality school EOP. Schools should become familiar with the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical manifestations of loss, as well as with the factors that impact bereavement.
Next Steps What are three things I learned from this presentation? How can I implement these at my school or in my district? What steps will I take to implement these changes in my school EOP?
Further Information Phone: (855) 781 -7367 (REMS) Email: info@remstacenter. org http: //rems. ed. gov Join our Community of Practice! Access Virtual Trainings Get the Guide Request an On-site Training
Acknowledgements Thank you to the original authors and contributors who developed and reviewed content for this presentation: § § § Kelly Streeter, Safe Schools/Healthy Students Project Director, Maine School Administrative District #55 Randy Town, School Safety Coordinator, Educational Service District 105, Yakima, Washington David Schonfeld, Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center This presentation was updated on September 17, 2014. This presentation was prepared for the U. S. Department of Education under Contract Number EDESE 12 O 0036 with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. Madeline Sullivan served as the contracting officer’s representative for the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center. No official endorsement by the U. S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this presentation is intended or should be inferred. For the reader’s convenience, this presentation contains information about and from outside organizations, including hyperlinks and URLs. Inclusion of such information does not constitute an endorsement by the Department.
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