Crisis Plans and Postvention

Mental Health America of Wisconsin is currently working in collaboration with HOPES, Forest Vilas/Oneida Human Services of Rhinelander, MHA Sheboygan Co., Sheboygan South High School, Mental Health Center of Dane County, SPRC and individual survivors of suicide to develop a comprehensive model for postvention strategies. These materials will be adaptable by schools and communities for immediate and long-range response. They will incorporate a coalition perspective. You will be updated with these resources as they become available. For more information please contact Debi Traeder, Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Project Coordinator for Mental Health America of Wisconsin. While this project is under development the following resources are currently available to assist you in getting started on your crisis plans and postvention strategies.

 

Developing and Implementing a Strategy for Crisis Response

 

For schools

 

The Youth Suicide Prevention Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide, prepared by Katherine Lazear, Stephen Roggenbaum and Karen Blase, and developed by the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. This guide offers information and checklists for developing a school-based crisis response plan. Information and strategies related to preparing for and responding to a death by suicide are included in Issue Briefs 7a and 7b. Other related sections include Issue Brief 2- School Climate; Issue Brief 6b and 6c-Intervention Strategies; and Issue Brief 4-Administrative Issues.

 

Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities, The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education, 2003

This 146 page guide is intended to provide schools and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning and stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process and provide examples of promising practices. While not suicide specific this guide does offer schools useful checklists for each phase of crisis planning and response.

 

Times of Tragedy: Preventing Suicide in Troubled Children and Youth Part II: Tips for School Personnel or Crisis Team Members. This document by the National Association of School Psychologist provides school personnel tips on how to respond to a youth with suicidal intent.

 

Examples of School Crisis Plans

 

Sudden Death-Suicide-Critical Incident, Crisis Response Procedures for Principals and Student Services Staff, Madison Metropolitan School District, revised August 2005. For more information contact Kathy Halley, Program Support Staff for School Psychology at 1-608-663-8422 or khalley@madison.k12.wi.us or Luis Yudice, Coordinator of School Security Services at 663-1904; lyudice@madison.k12.wi.us

 

For more information contact John Humphries at the Department of Public Instruction, (608) 266-7189 or (800) 441-4563.

Emmet D. Williams Elementary School, Shoreview, Minnesota- Emergency Response Procedures 2006/07. For more information contact Mr. Jan Vanderwall at (651) 635-1600.

 

For Community

 

CDC Recommendations for a Community Plan for the Prevention and Containment of Suicide Clusters

The recommendations contained in this report were developed to assist community leaders in public health, mental health, education, and other fields to develop a community response for suicide clusters or for situations that might develop into suicide clusters.

 

Wisconsin Crisis Network

The Statewide Crisis Intervention Network meets on a regular basis (quarterly) to review current trends, problem solve difficult issues, keep updated on current legislation affecting crisis services and of course try to influence legislation. The network serves as formal and informal social function by allowing opportunities for people in crisis work to talk to each other. This group plans future statewide crisis intervention conferences, i.e., 11th Annual Crisis Intervention conference. The network can be a useful place for support in the development of your crisis plans as well as information on best practices. To join this network, contact George Hulick, Clinical Consultant, Bureau of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services DDES/DHFS, 608-261-7800 or hulick@dhfs.state.wi.us .

 

Proposal for "Best Practices Regarding Crisis Intervention and 51.15's" and letter regarding 51.15 by George Hulick. Documents that help explain and clarify 51.15

 

HFS 34 by the Department of Health and Family Services outlines the codes required of a county to be licensed as an emergency mental health service and provide crisis care. Subchapter III (pp.5-11) of this document outlines the necessary elements needed in a crisis plan (pp. 7-9) and outlines the necessary elements of assessment and response (pp. 9-11).

 

Best Practice Guidelines for Crisis Intervention created by the Statewide Crisis Intervention Network

 

Postvention Resources

 

This chapter of the guide outlines the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for managing a crisis situation. It then provides program descriptions of four different crisis intervention plans from the following locales:

Bergen County Task Force on Youth Suicide Prevention, Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Crisis Intervention, Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida Project SOAR, Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, Texas Special Initiatives Team (SIT), Indian Health Service (HIS), Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

The Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide (for schools only), prepared by Katherine Lazaer, Stephen Roggenbaum and Karen Blase, and developed by the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. Issue briefs and checklists that can be referenced for this section are: Brief 6b-Crisis Intervention Teams and Brief 7a- Steps for Responding.

 

This document by the National Association of School Psychologists, discusses both how to develop culturally competent crisis plans and culturally competent crisis response.

 

Media Guidelines

 

SPRC's two page summary of the 2001 publication "Reporting on Suicide:

Recommendations for the Media," by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Mental Health, Office of the Surgeon General, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Association of Suicidology and Annenberg Public Policy Center.

 

Reporting on Suicide: Recommendations for the Media (2001) The complete above mentioned report.

 

The Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide (for schools only), prepared by KatherineLazaer, Stephen Roggenbaum and Karen Blase, and developed by the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. Issue brief and checklist that can be referenced for this section is Brief 7b - Preparing for and Responding to a Death by Suicide: Responding and Working with the Media.

 

Model School-based Postvention Program

 

This 71-page report lays out the components of Maine's school-based youth suicide prevention and postvention policies and protocols. It offers specific guidelines and sample documents for schools. Postvention information is found on pp.14-17 and sample announcements after a suicide are found on pp.36-38.

 

Model Community-Wide Postvention Program

Frameworks is a copy written project by NAMI New Hampshire that provides a framework of specific steps to be taken in response to a youth suicide event by specific stakeholders. It is a collaborative approach between multiple systems. The document is 110 pages in total. There is a section regarding cultural competence with excellent, easy to review guidelines on this topic on pp. 14-19. The rest of the document is organized by specific protocol recommendation by community stakeholder group. They include: