RESOURCES RELATED TO SCHOOL SAFETY
AND THREAT ASSESSMENT
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A vast wealth of threat assessment information is also available from
the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) at the U.S. Secret
Service website (www.usss.gov). This site is my bible.
Richard L. Gray, Ph.D.
District Forensic Psychologist
Manager, Special Education Services
623-445-4904
Dear Fellow Psychologists:
It is, indeed, a very sad day for America, with the most horrific school shooting on record occurring at Virginia Tech yesterday. We know you must be flooded with questions from teachers, students and possibly families, all of whom would like answers to make sense of this tragedy, and also to be reassured that their own children and students are safe. To provide you a quick review of school shooting statistics, facts and safeguards, I have attached the Power Point provided by the U.S. Secret Service at the NASP Conference 2006. If you are not able to download this presentation for your own review, we will also make it available as a link on the website (www.aasp-az.org). The Director of the Cook Counseling Center at Virginia Tech just finished speaking at the Convocation on the Virginia Tech campus. He indicated that the best predictor of healthy recovery from such a trauma is to have a strong support network of family and friends. Perhaps that advice will also apply to your work environment at this time. He also advised students to take good care of themselves in the days ahead so that they would be healthy enough to reach out to others.
Best of luck in your care-taking of those affected by this event. If you have thoughts or material you feel would be helpful to our community of school psychologists, I will be happy to post that information on our website or listserv.
Mary Arredondo, Ph.D., NCSP
AASP Communications Chairperson
From: Ongoing dialogue among Division 37 members. [mailto:DIV37@LISTS.APA.ORG] On Behalf Of Carol Falender
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 10:01 PM
To: DIV37@LISTS.APA.ORG
Subject: [DIV37] APA: how to talk to children about recent shootings
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:30:47 -0400
From: Nabil El-Ghoroury PhD <nelghoroury@METROHEALTH.ORG>
Subject: How To Talk To Children About Recent University Shootings, From APA Public Education Campaign
Below is information from the APA Help Center about talking to children
about school violence. This is especially important given the recent
shooting at Virginia Tech.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/us/16cnd-shooting.html?hp
Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhD
Public Education Campaign Chair, Ohio Psychological Association
Talking to your children about the recent spate of school shootings.
Few events hit home for children and families like a school shooting.
When children see such an event on television or on Web-based news
flashes, it is natural for them to worry about their own school and
their own safety, particularly if the violence occurred nearby or in a
neighboring city or state.
Talk to your children:
Psychologists who work in the area of trauma and recovery advise
parents to use the troubling news of school shootings as an opportunity
to talk and listen to their children. It is important, say these
psychologists, to be honest. Parents should acknowledge to children that
bad things do happen, but also reassure them with the information that
many people are working to keep them safe, including their parents,
teachers, and local police.
Young children may communicate their fears through play or drawings.
Elementary school children will use a combination of play and talking to
express themselves. Adolescents are more likely to have the skills to
communicate their feelings and fears verbally. Adults should be
attentive to a child's concerns, but also try to help the children put
their fears into proportion to the real risk. Again, it is important to
reassure children that the adults in their lives are doing everything
they can to make their environment-school, home, and neighborhood-safe
for them.
Parents, teachers, and school administrators also need to communicate
with one another not only about how to keep kids safe, but about which
children might need more reassurance and the best way to give it to
them.
Limit exposure to news coverage:
Parents should also monitor how much exposure a child has to news
reports of traumatic events, including these recent school shootings.
Research has shown that some young children believe that the events are
reoccurring each time they see a television replay of the news footage.
Know the warning signs:
Most children are quite resilient and will return to their normal
activities and personality relatively quickly, but parents should be
alert to any signs of anxiety that might suggest that a child or
teenager might need more assistance. Such indicators could be a change
in the child's school performance, changes in relationships with peers
and teachers, excessive worry, school refusal, sleeplessness,
nightmares, headaches or stomachaches, or loss of interest in activities
that the child used to enjoy. Also remember that every child will
respond to trauma differently. Some will have no ill effects; others may
suffer an immediate and acute effect. Still others may not show signs of
stress until sometime after the event.
For more information, go to www.apahelpcenter.org.
Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Department of Pediatrics
Center for Behavioral Health & Hispanic Child and Adolescent Clinic
MetroHealth Medical Center
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine
APA Board of Professional Affairs (2007-2009)
OPA Public Education Campaign Coordinator (2006-present)
Society of Pediatric Psychology Diversity Committee Chair
(2005-present
Carol Falender, Ph.D.
President, Division 37
Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice
American Psychological Association
Office: 310-451-1236
www.cfalender.com
1158 26th Street, #189
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Clearly, the tragedy at Virginia Tech is raising many issues.All the media, personal, and professional discussions are causing many to reflect and hopefully plan for the future.
One immediate focus naturally is on the grief of those who lost friends and relatives. All indications are that support will be provided for those immediately involved and for others on campus and in the immediate community.
It also seems clear that most of those who have responsibility for schools and students across the country will take another look at their own crisis plans and how they watch for students whose problems need to be addressed.
It is important to do all this as proactively as possible and with great concern for the well-being and rights of all involved.
Our Center staff will help as feasible with resource materials and with sharing of information related to strategies used by schools and communities.
If you have specific concerns or strategies you are pursuing, please let us know, and we will compile and share them.
Should you need resource materials for addressing concerns, you can access a great deal through our website (http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu).
Here are some examples.
After every school shooting, we are asked about how schools should assess students who may be a threat. For a brief info resource on ASSESSING WHETHER A STUDENT MIGHT COMMIT A VIOLENT ACT - see http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/shootings.pdf
As aids in moving forward, those concerned about crisis response, safety of others, and resources for connecting with at risk students may find some of our Online Clearinghouse Quick Finds useful. See, for instance:
Crisis Prevention and Response – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/p2107_01.htm
Depression – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/depression.htm
Grief and Bereavement – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/p3003_01.htm
Post-traumatic Stress – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/ptsd.htm
Prevention for Students at Risk – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/prevention.html
Safe Schools and Violence Prevention – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/p2108_03.htm
Threat Assessment: Resources and Cautions – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/threatassessment.html
School Mental Health Project/
Center for Mental Health in Schools
UCLA Dept. of Psychology
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
(310) 825-3634 / Toll Free: (866) 846-4843 / Fax: (310) 206-8716
Email: smhp@ucla.edu
Web: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu
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RESOURCES RELATED TO SCHOOL SAFETY |
