Crisis Recovery (Grief, Loss, and Hate-Based Incidents)
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The Department of Student Success & Health crisis recovery team supports school communities as a general consultant to all issues pertaining to tragedy, death, and any event causing community impact. Our team will assist school administrators and Senior Directors to assess support needs and deliver the appropriate level of crisis recovery response.
When the incident is related to a hate-based incident, the SSH Dept partners with the MTSS Dept Restorative Justice team to coordinate response.
Where to Start?
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Please call or text (503)939-3283. If you call during the night, someone will get back to you by 7:00 am the following morning.
The Student Success & Health Crisis Recovery Team can:
- Assist building administrators with crafting trauma-informed communication to building staff and the school community.
- Serve as a conduit between community-based agencies.
- Support school-based support staff (counselors, social workers, psychologists) in providing individual and/or group counseling for students
- Arranging virtual or in-person sessions with Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) responders.
- Assist staff in having classroom conversations with students
- Provide direction and guidance to the administrator during crisis response and via phone or email as a follow-up.
- Provide resource materials, including but not limited to; information about grief, loss, and race-based traumatic stress for students, staff, and families.
- This team continues to build out supports in response to hate-based incidents.
For Support, Contact:
Planning Tools
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Navigating Crisis Together: Mental & Behavioral Health Recovery Planning for School Communities is intended for districts [in Multnomah County] who are interested in enhancing school communities so that they are places where students, families, and staff can experience resiliency and healing following a critical incident. This document is intended to be used in tandem with an active process of assessment, engagement, and shared learning with school communities so that it is localized and relevant. While this document outlines national best practices in recovering from a critical incident, individual school communities will ultimately require customization to be truly responsive to their students, family, and staff.
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Crisis Management Workbook
The Crisis Management Workbook is a tool for counselors and administrators to use during school crises and tragedies
Communication
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School Level
Teacher Script and Resources
The following letters are to be used to create your own communication to students, families, and the community. Please cut and paste sections to your own letterhead.
Parent/Guardian Letter Communicating a Crisis
Parent/Guardian Letter Followup
Parent/Guardian Letter Concerning Suicide
Parent/Guardian Letter Concerning a Violent Death -
District Level
When a tragedy occurs in any of the Portland Public Schools, the Senior Directors, Director of Security Services, Executive Director of Community Involvement and Public Affairs, and Principals immediately begin notifying and supporting school personnel in responding to the tragedy. The appropriate Senior Director and the Director of Student Support keep the Superintendent and Chief of Staff informed. Administrators are advised to have written building-level School Emergency Response Plan Identifying school-level crisis teams and to hold annual reviews of plans with all staff.
Resources
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Grief, Loss and Race-based Traumatic Stress Hotlines
Racial Equity Support Line staffed by and for people of Color
Safe and Strong Warmline (available for anyone to reach out with mental health questions or concerns- you do not need to be in crisis-Interpretation Services Available)
Multnomah County Mental Health Call Center (24 hours a day 7 days a week-Interpretation Services Available)
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Grief and Loss Resources
Beloved Community and Grief- Tips for supporting children when someone dies (Kairos PDX and Dougy Center)
Beloved Community and Grief (Spanish)
Tips for Grieving Teens (Spanish)
Grief During CoVid (Dougy Center)
Supporting Children and Teens after a Murder or Violent Death (Dougy Center)
Understanding all grief in the age of CoVid 19 (Very Well Mind)
Understanding cultural issues and death (Grief Speaks)
Complicated Grief: Cultural Considerations When Working with Loss in Hispanic and Latino Families and their Children (National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC Network)
Finding the words- when someone in your community has died of CoVid (Dougy Center)
Supporting Children and Teens when a loved one is dying in a care facility (Dougy Center)
Managing Bereavement Around Coronavirus (Center for Complicated Grief)
The Three Tasks Facing Children in Grief (pdf)
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Grief and Loss Webinars/Podcasts
Grief Out Loud Podcast Episode 142: Supporting Black Youth & Suffocated Grief with Dr. Tashel Bordere (University of Missouri professor and researcher who introduces the concept of suffocated grief for Black and Brown youth)
Grief out Loud Podcast Episode 164: Supporting Children and Teens with Grief with Kevin Carter (from the Uplift Center of Grieving Children in Philadelphia)
Grief Out Loud Podcast Episode 189: Grieving While Black with Breeshia Wade (Author of Grieving While Black; an AntiRacist Approach to Grief and Sorrow)
On Grief and Finding Meaning (Brenae Brown)
"Talking to and Supporting Students and Ourselves" (National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement )
Loss and Grief During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Center for Complicated Grief)
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Employee Assistance Program
- Visit Human Resources Employee Assistance Program site
- EAP provider website
