Crisis events, regardless man-made or natural, happen suddenly and leave behind not just physical damage, but also disastrous emotional effects on people. Till today, some families of the 2014 Flight MH 370 airplane crash victims are still grieving and searching for closure. The Sabah earthquake that killed several Tanjong Katong Primary School staff and students in 2015 was another heart-wrenching incident that Singaporeans mourn together. In Singapore, the 2021 killing of a student in River Valley High School shocked the entire nation and triggered a reflection of the mental health state of students.
Adding on, governments all over the world are bracing themselves for brutal attacks planned against their country by hostile forces within and without. Singapore's Law and Home Affairs Minister, Mr K Shanmugam, put it mostly starkly: "It is no longer a question of whether an attack will take place, but really, when is an attack going to take place in Singapore and we have to be prepared for that," (The Straits Times, 18 Mar 2016).
This series comprises two workshops conducting by Dr Suzanne Anderson who is a seasoned crisis responder. Dr. Anderson was first involved in working with schools in the aftermath of disaster when Hurricane Andrew hit Dade County Florida in 1992. More recently Dr. Anderson has provided support to the Jakarta Intercultural School from 2014 – 2019 in the wake of child abuse allegations. Throughout this time Suzanne has been working with schools in Singapore and Southeast Asia at the primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels, as they respond to earthquakes, suicide and other crisis – providing response consultation to schools, after action supervision, and training.
Adding on, governments all over the world are bracing themselves for brutal attacks planned against their country by hostile forces within and without. Singapore's Law and Home Affairs Minister, Mr K Shanmugam, put it mostly starkly: "It is no longer a question of whether an attack will take place, but really, when is an attack going to take place in Singapore and we have to be prepared for that," (The Straits Times, 18 Mar 2016).
This series comprises two workshops conducting by Dr Suzanne Anderson who is a seasoned crisis responder. Dr. Anderson was first involved in working with schools in the aftermath of disaster when Hurricane Andrew hit Dade County Florida in 1992. More recently Dr. Anderson has provided support to the Jakarta Intercultural School from 2014 – 2019 in the wake of child abuse allegations. Throughout this time Suzanne has been working with schools in Singapore and Southeast Asia at the primary, secondary and tertiary educational levels, as they respond to earthquakes, suicide and other crisis – providing response consultation to schools, after action supervision, and training.
Coordinating a Response to Crisis in Schools
Schools must be operationally ready to handle the crisis when it strikes. When crisis happen, schools must coordinate an effective crisis response and to return to the task of teaching and learning. Sadly, many schools are ill-equipped for the task. This practical workshop is designed to bridge that gap: Participants will learn how to prepare an effective response plan aligned to the participant’s current school plans and procedures. The goal of the plan is to enable students and staff to return to learning. They will also learn best practices in maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
This workshop comprises of 3 parts:
Part 1 guides participants through the impact and response of a crisis. Impact and response will be broken down into chronological time frames from pre-crisis through to 1.5 to 2 years post-crisis. Participants will also learn about the adapting to different crises through the framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need adapted and applied to crisis and trauma.
In Part 2, participants will apply their own knowledge and experience as well as the learning from Part 1 to school-based scenarios and will be tasked to develop a response plan. They will have the opportunity to confidentially share their experiences with past incidents.
Part 3 will briefly address a part of responding to crisis that is often overlooked—the need to review the response to a critical incident for challenges faced and lessons learned and apply that knowledge to maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
This workshop comprises of 3 parts:
Part 1 guides participants through the impact and response of a crisis. Impact and response will be broken down into chronological time frames from pre-crisis through to 1.5 to 2 years post-crisis. Participants will also learn about the adapting to different crises through the framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need adapted and applied to crisis and trauma.
In Part 2, participants will apply their own knowledge and experience as well as the learning from Part 1 to school-based scenarios and will be tasked to develop a response plan. They will have the opportunity to confidentially share their experiences with past incidents.
Part 3 will briefly address a part of responding to crisis that is often overlooked—the need to review the response to a critical incident for challenges faced and lessons learned and apply that knowledge to maintaining crisis plans and protocols.
Developing Effective Skills to Respond to Crisis in School
In the aftermath of a crisis, be it intentional harm, natural disasters and industrial accidents, those affected experience a roller-coaster of emotions, with greater intensity than they have ever experienced. They often wonder if they are going crazy and may believe there is something wrong with them.
This course will, as a backdrop, give participants a good understanding of the impact of a crisis on individuals. It will then look at how information is delivered when there has been an incident and ways of providing support for individuals and groups of people affected by a critical incident.
This workshop comprises of two parts:
Part 1 provides a theoretical framework for understanding how trauma affects individuals during the intense weeks and sometimes months following an incident. Participants will also learn about the unique ways that students in schools are affected by trauma throughout the different developmental states.
With Part 1 as the backdrop, participants will learn important psychological first aid (PFA) skills, how to deliver bad news, and how to provide group support in Part 2.
This course will, as a backdrop, give participants a good understanding of the impact of a crisis on individuals. It will then look at how information is delivered when there has been an incident and ways of providing support for individuals and groups of people affected by a critical incident.
This workshop comprises of two parts:
Part 1 provides a theoretical framework for understanding how trauma affects individuals during the intense weeks and sometimes months following an incident. Participants will also learn about the unique ways that students in schools are affected by trauma throughout the different developmental states.
With Part 1 as the backdrop, participants will learn important psychological first aid (PFA) skills, how to deliver bad news, and how to provide group support in Part 2.
