Mental health challenges are on the rise among today's youth. Recent reports have noted an acute and significant need for school-based mental health education and supportive interventions for children and adolescents. Among these approaches, a growing focus has centered on improving students' mental health literacy (MHL) as a foundational…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis of proportions not seen in generations. In the spring of 2020, all 50 states were simultaneously under a disaster declaration (U.S. News, 2020) and most communities began to require distancing in order to mitigate virus spread. As a result, schools closed and distance learning and telehealth became…

This article integrates the guidelines of American Red Cross and the "Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide" (Brymer et al., 2006) with adult development theories to demonstrate the promotion of adaptive functioning in adults after a disaster. Case examples and recommendations for counselors working in disaster situations are…

The common path through which youth with mental health problems actually receive treatment is the education system. The current study used qualitative methodology to explore why school psychologists are not providing the level of mental health services that children need, leaders in the field call for, and practitioners desire. Thirty-nine school…

Psychologists working in schools are often the first contacts for children experiencing a potentially traumatizing event or change in status. This article reviews basic concepts in crisis counseling and describes the components of psychological first aid. This form of counseling must be developmentally and culturally appropriate as well as…

This is an account of a qualitative study designed to elicit and analyse the narratives of women who had trained to be volunteer counsellors at a Rape Crisis centre. Little prior research has focused on the experiences of workers in Rape Crisis centres and this project was designed to explore women's experiences in ways that were meaningful to…

The authors interviewed a school counselor to determine her response to an armed hostage event in a classroom. They found that her primary interventions took place after the perpetrator had been taken into custody, through counseling students who had been in the room, contacting professionals from the school district and the local mental health…

Crisis intervention is a role that fits exceedingly well with counseling psychologists' interests and skills. This article provides an overview of a new crisis intervention model, the Integrated Problem-Solving Model (IPSM), and demonstrates its application to a specific crisis, sexual assault. It is hoped that this article will encourage…

Describes counseling intervention system specific to "tough beat" crisis management. Describes "tough beat" as situation in which child suddenly behaves in way dramatically different from expected pattern. Notes difficulties parents have in responding to such situations and presents 10-step intervention plan for counselors. (NB)

Presents a five-step model of a crisis interview and the special considerations in working with the suicidal and assaultive student for use by college counseling professionals. Discusses the special cases of suicidal and homocidal/assaultive potential. (LLL)

Assesses the impact of a loss experience within the family unit. Discusses how the loss affects the nuclear family and how socio-cultural and psychodynamic factors impact family grief. Issues in family counseling are then highlighted with suggestions for the grief counselor. (ML)

Asserts that crisis caused by the sudden death of a student or teacher can be averted or diminished via a preplanned team intervention approach. Describes such an approach implemented successfully by the Easton, Massachusetts, public schools. Provides both guidelines and strategies of the field-proven intervention program. (Author/NB)

The article describes the implementation of Immediate Strategic Intervention, a counseling strategy which utilizes trained adolescent female friends to help during the first 24 hours of an emotional crisis (e.g., potential suicide). Middle school adolescents can be taught basic psychological concepts and utilize them in supporting friends and…

Schools across the nation have increasingly coordinated crisis intervention programs to minimize the impact felt by students as the result of a crisis, such as national events and school violence. Through the development of response plans and crisis teams, as well as the instrumental work of school counselors in promoting intervention plans and…

Describes how school counselors may support children whose parents go to war. Notes that interventions have applications for other traumatic childhood situations. Discusses usefulness of theoretical and investigative findings in areas of personal loss and human development in terms of practical applicability for counseling practice among…