For Mental Health/Health Providers
Crisis Preparedness for Mental Health/Health Providers - Accessing and Providing Resources
Effective collaboration among school and community-based mental health service and health providers is a key component for effective intervention after a crisis event.
The purpose of the following guide is to (a) provide user-friendly information resources for educators, students, families, and mental health and other health providers; and (b) enhance collaboration with local schools to plan ways to provide access to direct services for students and families affected by crises.
Provide helpful information:
- To find available resources and mental health agencies in your community, call the Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990.
Promote training opportunities:
- Psychological First Aid
- Helping Children Cope with a Crisis: Care for the Caregivers
- Mental Health First Aid training is an interactive 12-hour course that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
-
Peer listening has been found to be a valuable tool for recovery/healing that could benefit both staff and families.
Create ongoing partnerships with the schools in your community for student referrals:
• Work together with school-based mental health providers to complete the Mental Health Services Infrastructure Assessment. This will help to assess the current school infrastructure, processes for student referrals for mental and behavioral services, and available mental health resources within the school and community.
• Creating a Front Porch: Strategies for Improving Access to Mental Health Services
Additional Resources For Mental Health/Health Providers:
• Caring for Kids After Trauma and Death: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND PROFESSIONALS by The Institute for Trauma and Stress at The NYU Child Study Center ?
• A Guide for Advancing Family-Centered and Culturally and Linguistically Competent Care
• Information for Health Professionals, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institute of Mental Health Resources
• Psychological First Aid by The Institute for Trauma and Stress at The NYU Child Study Center
• Ten Tips for Families in Tough Times
• Trauma in Children and Adolescents - Information for School Clinicians by the Maryland School Mental Health Alliance
SAMHSA Free Publications:
• Developing Cultural Competence in Disaster Mental Health Programs
• Field Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters
• Practice Guidelines: Core Elements for Responding to Mental Health Crises
• Psychosocial Issues for Children and Adolescents in Disaster
