This fact sheet, newly revised and updated since the attacks of September 11th, aims to share what is known about the impact of violence and disasters on children and to suggest steps to minimize long-term emotional harm. Trauma is defined to include emotional as well as physical experiences and injuries. It is noted that even secondhand exposure…

Crisis intervention is a vital component of any comprehensive approach to maintaining psychological well being. An active school-based crisis intervention team can make a powerful contribution to a school's sense of community and commitment to taking care of each other. This special edition presents promising practices that may be helpful to…

Third-year residents nearing completion of their training and preparing to leave for independent practice often appear to experience anxieties that suggest a form of separation crisis. Their negative behavior may be a way of making the old milieu less welcoming and thus easier to leave. Advice for easing the transition is offered. (JMD)

Describes Critical Incident Stress Debriefing process (CISD) as model designed to mitigate impact of life-threatening crises on health care workers, to facilitate their return to routine functioning, and to prevent pathological responses to trauma that is inherent aspect of their profession. Examines development of CISD and explores its…

When rapid growth and major educational changes created turbulence in Verona, Wisconsin, educators and community members used six strategies to weather the storm and improve conditions. They moved from controversial to less emotional issues, stressed consensus in decision making, imported a neutral listener, developed a forum for dialog,…

Crisis events may be viewed as expected, sudden, or catastrophic. Survivors have common needs: recognition of loss, soothing of fear, a sense of what happened, expression of feelings, assistance with adjustment, shared closure rituals, and ways to remember. Schools' crisis-response plans should include intervention and postintervention activities…

This fact sheet points out that knowledge of the process of grief (defined as one's own personal experience of loss) and ways of helping individuals and families cope with their loss experiences can be an invaluable asset to crisis nurseries and respite care programs and their service providers. The fact sheet lists the emotions of grief, and…

This paper reflects selected findings from a study of successful coping mechanisms used by elderly individuals who, approximately two years before the time of being interviewed, had experienced a major crisis identified as either: (1) the death of a significant individual with whom the elderly person has in most cases been living until the time of…

Self-mutilation and attempted sucide among adolescent prisoners are explored in relation to concrete coping tests posed by prison and to self-esteem problems posed by failure of external (family) and internal (peer) systems. Crisis sequences are traced using verbatim excerpts from interviews with prisoners. (Author)

Analysis of questionnaires completed by mothers (N=60) of mentally retarded children indicated that characteristics of the child and the family's crisis-meeting resources were significant predictors of various forms of stress. (Author/DB)

Describes a guidance project designed to help children develop skills to cope with crisis. Discusses understanding the crisis, being aware of changing thoughts and feelings, and using coping strategies and behaviors. (ABB)

Describes a series of workshops offering women an opportunity to explore the realities of divorce. Experienced volunteers provide information on coping with a new single identity, handling children, finances and legal aspects and growth through the mastery of crisis. A follow-up study confirmed the value of the program. (JAC)

This description of the steps in the treatment process begins with cognitive mastery of the normal spectrum of reaction and continues through the stages of expressing and resolving grief to the restructuring of the individual life situation. (Author)

Suggests that stress on the rapid establishment of "cognitive re-structuring" is inappropriate for many types of suicidal clients. Bracketing and stabilization are suggested as alternative means to increase client ability to grasp personal orientations and perspectives. Stress on the client's ability to control is important. (Author)

Illustrates with a case study example the importance of teachers helping young children deal with a death. Presents specific dialogs for dealing with the victim of the tragedy, the classmates, and the employees of the classroom. Focuses on teacher roles and contributions in the understanding and coping processes. (SD)