School Crisis Management Planning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Elbedour ◽  
Futiem Alsubie ◽  
Shareefah N Al’Uqdah ◽  
Joseph A Bawalsah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Community Violence ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
School Crises

Abstract The fundamental need for safety in schools requires research-based and trauma-informed strategies for implementing crisis management plans (CMPs). Beyond the immediate harm, longer-term potential outcomes of crises are psychological trauma and damage to the reputation for safety of the school, leading to staff attrition. An effective CMP involves (a) planning, (b) communication, (c) protocols for immediate action, and (d) protocols specific to different types of school crises. School crises can occur on the organizational level, such as natural disasters or shootings; community level, such as bullying or community violence; or individual level, such as suicide, pregnancy, or family changes. This article incorporates research from the business sector as well as education, social work, and psychology to describe the vital components of a school CMP and the role of the school mental health staff. School mental health staff must be central to development and implementation of a trauma-informed school CMP that incorporates prevention, communication, and different protocols for the various types of crises.

Qualitative experiences of Australian mental health staff with students exposed to domestic violence

2021 ◽  
pp. 014303432199415
Author(s):  
Emily Berger ◽  
Lauren Meltzer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
School Structures ◽  
Exposure To Domestic Violence ◽  
Health Promotion In Schools ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
Trauma Informed Practice

The prevalence of domestic violence is concerning due to its debilitating impact on the psychological, social and academic functioning of children. This study explored the experiences, strengths and challenges of school mental health staff in relation to students exposed to domestic violence. Interviews with 10 school wellbeing staff working in Victoria, Australia, showed that these staff felt confronted and distressed, and were unsure of their role in managing the complexities associated with students’ exposure to domestic violence. Staff reported the need for educators, students and parents to be educated on domestic violence, and for improved school structures and policies that encourage staff consultation and self-care following students’ disclosures of domestic violence. The results of this study are discussed within the context of trauma-informed practice and multi-tiered mental health promotion in schools.

Patient-on-Staff Assaults: Perspectives of Mental Health Staff at an Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Teaching Hospital in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 084456212090462
Author(s):  
Ifeoma E. Ezeobele ◽  
Ardell Mock ◽  
Rachel McBride ◽  
Arslee Mackey-Godine ◽  
Dorothy Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Job Functions

Introduction Physical assaults perpetrated by patients in psychiatric hospitals against mental health staff (MHS) is a serious concern facing psychiatric hospitals. Assaulted staff reports physical and psychological trauma that affects their personal and professional lives. There is a dearth of literature exploring this phenomenon. Purpose To explore MHS perspectives of assault by psychiatric patients. Methods A transcendental phenomenological qualitative design was used to explore and analyze the perspectives of a purposeful sample of 120 MHS perspectives at an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital. Participants’ age ranged from 22 to 63 years (mean age = 32.4). Moustakas’ theoretical underpinnings guided the study. Results Two patterns, 8 themes, and 19 subthemes were identified: (a) Psychological impacts revealed four themes—increase of anxiety/fear level, helplessness and hopelessness, flashbacks/burnout, and doubting own competency. (b) Physiosocial impacts revealed four themes—unsupportive superiors, stigmatization of staff victim, failure to report the incident, and environmental safety. Discussion Participants verbalized that assaults by patients have instilled fear and trauma in them. Most of the assaults occurred when staff were performing their routine job functions and setting limits to patient’s behavior. Conclusion The study allowed MHS opportunities to narrate their lived experiences of being assaulted by patients and provided validation of their perspectives. Findings illuminated the phenomenon and may help to support policy changes in psychiatric hospitals.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and ECT – a Victorian perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110142
Author(s):  
Karuppiah Jagadheesan ◽  
Frances Walker ◽  
Vijay Danivas ◽  
Quratulain Itrat ◽  
Vinay Lakra
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Aged Patients ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Comparison Period

Objectives: (i) to describe the operational strategies implemented to practise electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) safely, and (ii) to explore the effect of the lockdown and operational strategies on the characteristics of patients who received ECT during the initial 6 months of the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: At first, the operational strategies that were implemented at the Broadmeadows ECT suite were summarised. Subsequently, the characteristics of patients who received ECT in the lockdown period (16 March–16 September 2020) and in the comparison period (16 March–16 September 2019) were compared. Results: Many safety measures were implemented, and there was no COVID-19 infection among mental health staff and patients. In the lockdown period, the number of patients (23.9%) and the total number of ECTs (29.4%) were less. This pattern was more prominent among the aged patients. Conclusion: Safe practices are essential to provide ECT during lockdowns even when the community transmission of COVID-19 is high.

scholarly journals The impact of Recovery Colleges on mental health staff, services and society

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Crowther ◽  
A. Taylor ◽  
R. Toney ◽  
S. Meddings ◽  
T. Whale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Social Care Service ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAimsRecovery Colleges are opening internationally. The evaluation focus has been on outcomes for Recovery College students who use mental health services. However, benefits may also arise for: staff who attend or co-deliver courses; the mental health and social care service hosting the Recovery College; and wider society. A theory-based change model characterising how Recovery Colleges impact at these higher levels is needed for formal evaluation of their impact, and to inform future Recovery College development. The aim of this study was to develop a stratified theory identifying candidate mechanisms of action and outcomes (impact) for Recovery Colleges at staff, services and societal levels.MethodsInductive thematic analysis of 44 publications identified in a systematised review was supplemented by collaborative analysis involving a lived experience advisory panel to develop a preliminary theoretical framework. This was refined through semi-structured interviews with 33 Recovery College stakeholders (service user students, peer/non-peer trainers, managers, community partners, clinicians) in three sites in England.ResultsCandidate mechanisms of action and outcomes were identified at staff, services and societal levels. At the staff level, experiencing new relationships may change attitudes and associated professional practice. Identified outcomes for staff included: experiencing and valuing co-production; changed perceptions of service users; and increased passion and job motivation. At the services level, Recovery Colleges often develop somewhat separately from their host system, reducing the reach of the college into the host organisation but allowing development of an alternative culture giving experiential learning opportunities to staff around co-production and the role of a peer workforce. At the societal level, partnering with community-based agencies gave other members of the public opportunities for learning alongside people with mental health problems and enabled community agencies to work with people they might not have otherwise. Recovery Colleges also gave opportunities to beneficially impact on community attitudes.ConclusionsThis study is the first to characterise the mechanisms of action and impact of Recovery Colleges on mental health staff, mental health and social care services, and wider society. The findings suggest that a certain distance is needed in the relationship between the Recovery College and its host organisation if a genuine cultural alternative is to be created. Different strategies are needed depending on what level of impact is intended, and this study can inform decision-making about mechanisms to prioritise. Future research into Recovery Colleges should include contextual evaluation of these higher level impacts, and investigate effectiveness and harms.

The Practice of Community Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health Social Work in Salford Some Implications for Community Care

1988 ◽  
Vol 152 (6) ◽  
pp. 783-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Wooff ◽  
D. P. Goldberg ◽  
T. Fryers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Psychiatric Nurses ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Community Psychiatric ◽  
Wide Range

The context and content of work undertaken with individual clients by community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) and mental health social workers (MHSWs) in Salford were found to be significantly different. Although there were some areas of overlap, the ways in which the two professions worked were quite distinct. MHSWs discussed a wide range of topics and were as concerned with clients' interactions with family and community networks as they were with symptoms. Their interviews with schizophrenic clients followed a similar pattern to those with other groups, and they worked closely with psychiatrists and other mental health staff. CPNs, on the other hand, focused mainly on psychiatric symptoms, treatment arrangements, and medications, and spent significantly less time with individual psychotic clients than they did with patients suffering from neuroses. They were as likely to be in contact with general practitioners as they were with psychiatrists, and had fewer contacts with other mental health staff than the MHSWs. There was evidence that the long-term care of chronic psychiatric patients living outside hospital required more co-ordinated long-term multidisciplinary input.

scholarly journals Visual acuity and reported eye problems among psychiatric in-patients

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 297-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhaskar Punukollu ◽  
Michael Phelan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Contact Lenses ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Eye Problems ◽  
Mental Health Unit

Aims and MethodThe aim of this study was to examine visual problems among patients admitted to an inner city acute mental health unit. We measured visual acuity using a Snellen chart. Patients were also asked about perceived eye problems and access to services.ResultsOf 55 in-patients on five acute general adult wards at an inner city mental health unit over a 3-day period, 31 agreed to participate in the study. Twenty (65%) had impaired visual acuity and 19 (61%) had not been to an optician for 5 or more years. Seventeen patients (55%) reported experiencing difficulty with their eyesight. The main problems reported were blurring of vision and periorbital pain. Of these 17 patients, 15 (88%) had impaired visual acuity on Snellen testing. Half of those who had previously been prescribed glasses or contact lenses reported that they had been lost.Clinical ImplicationsVisual impairment appears to be another area of physical health which is underrecognised and undertreated in people with severe mental health problems. Although there are numerous issues that must be addressed by mental health staff, patients should be asked about eye problems and supported in accessing opticians.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of the Characteristics and Efficacy of Recovery Training for Mental Health Staff: Implications for Supported Accommodation Services

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McPherson ◽  
Brynmor Lloyd-Evans ◽  
Christian Dalton-Locke ◽  
Helen Killaspy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Service User ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Supported Accommodation ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Design Characteristics

Evidence suggests a link between recovery-oriented practise and service user outcomes in supported accommodation settings. Current clinical guidelines recommend recovery training for supported accommodation staff, however evidence relating to the effectiveness of this type of training is unclear. This review aimed to describe and compare the characteristics and efficacy of existing recovery training packages for mental health staff. The appropriateness and applicability of the interventions was considered in relation to UK supported accommodation services. Initial search processes returned 830 papers. After duplicate removal, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to 489 papers, leaving a final sample of seven papers. Data were reviewed using a narrative synthesis approach. The reviewed papers showed variation in the aims, frequency, and duration of the training interventions, although all included content consistent with the five-domains of the CHIME model. All interventions used direct, in-person teaching, and prioritised interactive, experiential learning, however a number were limited by the absence of feedback, the use of one-off, rather than repeated/follow-up sessions, and a reliance on classroom-based, rather than in-vivo, training. There was limited evidence to suggest a consistent effect of training on staff or service user outcomes, and there was no clear association between the delivery and design characteristics of the interventions and reported outcomes. In considering the development of recovery training for supported accommodation staff, little guidance can be taken from the reviewed literature. Any training package must be developed with consideration of the unique contextual and organisational characteristics of these services. The authors recommend viewing training as one component of a broader goal of service transformation.

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