South Carolina Association of School Psychologists

Supporting learning and mental health of youth in South Carolina.

School Violence Response Resources

Our hearts are heavy as we learn of yet another school shooting. As an organization, SCASP wishes to provide our sincere condolences to the school community. We would also like to offer support to school psychologists, teachers, administrators, parents, and students across the state.

Incidents like these often lead to feelings of fear, anger, and sadness. These reactions can be particularly strong in children, especially those who may already be facing loss or other trauma in their lives. For this reason, we have provided links to resources from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP),which may be helpful to you.

Managing Strong Emotional Reactions to Traumatic Events: Tips for Families and Teachers
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
Identifying Severely Traumatized Children: Tips for Parents and Teachers - Information about how children experience trauma.
School Safety & Crisis - Resources related to trauma, care for caregivers, and addressing grief.
Addressing Grief: Tips for Teachers and Administrators - Helpful tips to consider when addressing grief.

In addition, if you would like consultation regarding site-specific crisis response concerns, please know that there are many professionals available to support you. In particular, throughout the state, there are numerous mental health professionals (including school psychologists, school social workers, and school counselors) who have been trained in crisis response via the PREPaRE model. The PREPaRE model has been developed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) as a means of providing evidence-based crisis preparation and response skills to school professionals. If you or your school district would like additional information regarding PREPaRE-trained personnel near you, please contact Dr. Lisa Lipscomb at Lipscomblb@gmail.com.

SCASP is proud to be a part of a resilient, strong community of educators and mental health professionals in South Carolina. We stand with you all in this difficult time.

Preparing for the Storm Hurricane Irma

Once again, residents of South Carolina and neighboring states are facing the possibility of another frightening weather event. Earlier this week, our governor declared a state of emergency for South Carolina as we prepare for the possibility of Hurricane Florence heading in our direction. With all of you, we are hoping that the storm will remain well off-shore.

Given both South Carolina's recent history with weather events over the past three years, we recognize that this can be an anxiety-provoking event. As a service to members and other contacts, we'd like to provide you all with resources that we hope will help you, your colleagues, and your students in the upcoming days and weeks. Please feel free to share with your friends. We intend to periodically update information via email, our website, and social media (Facebook and Twitter).

We hope that all of you will remain safe during this time. We know that as a community and as school psychologists, we will find ways to support one another in the days ahead.

Recovery Resources

The following disaster related guides and resources may benefit school psychologists, school administrators, teachers, parents, and the community as Hurricane Irma approaches.

For Hurricane Preparation and Recovery

Sesame Street Workshop: Preparing for a Hurricane - a printable booklet to help young children prepare for a hurricane
Sesame Street Workshop: After a Hurricane - a printable booklet to help young children cope with events after a hurricane
The Great Storm and Flood Recovery Story and Activity Book (SPANISH) - a resource, in English or Spanish, that helps explain storms and floods, in an interactive format
Helping Children After a Natural Disaster: Information for Parents and Teachers - A NASP handout providing information for parents and schools following a natural disaster - information is also included regarding response to relocation
Brief Facts About Natural Disasters (SPANISH)- A NASP fact sheet giving basic information about reactions to natural disasters at various ages, possible ramifications of several different types of natural disasters (including hurricanes), and resources
SC Autism Society - The SC Autism Society is regularly updating their website with emergency preparedness information - information is available regarding general preparedness, as well as preparedness for individuals with disabilities (with a focus on individuals with autism)

For Activities while Sheltering-in-Place or Evacuating

Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents: Limited Supplies Needed (Daytime) - activities that families sheltering-in-place or evacuating may use to help occupy children's minds (and hands)
Simple Evacuation Activities: No Supplies Needed - activities that require no supplies to help during evacuations (or sheltering-in-place)

For Caretakers

Coping with Shelter-in-Place Emergencies - a resource to help adults understand shelter-in-place, typical reactions to the situation, and recommendations to cope

We will be providing continued communication and resources in the days and weeks to come. Like you, we are proud to call South Carolina home, and we will be working to support our members, colleagues, students, and school professionals in whatever capacity is possible.

South Carolina Community Resources

South Carolina Emergency Management Division
The SC EMD website provides a wide array of hurricane-related resources, including information on shelters, volunteer opportunities, school closings, and applying for disaster relief.

Red Cross South Carolina
The Red Cross is busy throughout the state, preparing for the storm. Information is available on their website regarding general hurricane preparedness. More Irma-specific information will likely be available on its home page as it becomes available.

Follow the Red Cross on Twitter for updates

Disaster Distress Hotline
The Disaster Distress Helpline is a national hotline dedicated to providing year-round immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish) or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

2- 1- 1 Community Resources

DIAL 2-1-1 or 866-892-9211 to speak with a referral specialist or go to the website. Free, confidential, 24/7, any language. To scroll through resources related to a disaster preparedness and response, please visit their website.

NASP shares three tasks for crisis response team after natural disasters:

Identify children and youth who are high risk and plan interventions. Risk factors are outlined in the above section on children’s reactions. Interventions may include individual counseling, small group counseling, or family therapy. From group crisis interventions and by maintaining close contact with teachers and parents, the school crisis response team can determine which students need supportive crisis intervention and counseling services. A mechanism also needs to be in place for self-referral and parental-referral of students.
Support teachers and other school staff. Provide staff members with information on the symptoms of children’s stress reactions and guidance on how to handle class discussions and answer children’s question. As indicated, offer to help conduct a group discussion. Reinforce that teachers should pay attention to their own needs and not feel compelled to do anything they are not comfortable doing. Suggest that administrators provide time for staff to share their feelings and reactions on a voluntary basis as well as help staff develop support groups. In addition, teachers who had property damage or personal injury to themselves or family members will need leave time to attend to their needs.
Engage in post-disaster activities that facilitate healing. La Greca and colleagues have developed a manual for professionals working with elementary school children following a natural disaster. Activities in this manual emphasize three key components supported by the empirical literature: (a) exposure to discussion of disaster-related events, (b) promotion of positive coping and problem-solving skills, and (c) strengthening of children’s friendship and peer support.