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…

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…

In this book, David Capuzzi, a renowned expert on suicide, encourages suicide prevention in schools through the use of a clear and effective crisis management plan designed to identify and serve at-risk youth. His concise, step-by-step framework provides essential information for school counselors, administrators, and faculty on suicide…

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…

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…