School Crisis Survival Guide »

Suni Petersen is a licensed medical health counselor who has specialized in family therapy for over 13 years. Ms. Petersen has designed crisis plans for a number of school districts and has developed expertise in the areas of crises and death through her work with seriously and terminally ill clients.

Ronald L. Straub, a counselor, has a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a Master's in Divinity. Mr. Straub has taught high school, provided support to dying hospital patients, and worked as an alcohol counselor.

Here are hundreds of step-by-step guidelines, strategies, and working plans for helping students in grades K-12 overcome any kind of crisis or tragedy, including personal losses, tragic accidents, a terminally ill classmate, suicide, violence, and natural disasters. Plus, this complete and comprehensive resource includes reproducible activity sheets for counselors and teachers to use at different stages of a child's recovery — activities that will help put children in touch with their feelings, identify problems, and easy their healing.

Part I: Planning for Crisis.
What Constitutes a Crisis?
Why the School Must Address a Crisis.
Establishing Your School Crisis Tem.
Establishing a System-Wide Crisis Team.
Assessing the Team's Preparedness.
Components of a Good Plan.
Part II: The Crisis Team in Motion.
Checking the Facts.
Adapting the Plan to Fit the Crisis.
Making the Announcement.
Staff Roles and Responsibilities During a Crisis.
The Memorial Service.
Addressing the Media.
The Aftermath of a Crisis.
Summary.
Part III: Crisis Counseling.
Effects of Trauma on Children.
Age Level and Perceptions of Death.
Short-Term Reactions to Trauma.
Long-Term Effects of Crisis.
Understanding Grief.
Grief Counseling.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Preventing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Part IV: Activities for the Resolution of Trauma and Grief.
Individual Activities.
Individual or Group Activities.
Group Activities.
Part V: Special Concerns for Specific Crises.
Factors that Increase the Likelihood of Trauma.
Suicide Prevention.
Suicide Postvention.
Preventing Violence in the School.
Coping with a Violent Crises.
Coping with a Natural Disaster.
When There Is a Dying Child in the Classroom.
Appendix.
Books for Students.
Resource Books.
Bibliography.
Charts and Boxes.