This Is NOT a Fire Drill JWBT364-FM.indd i 10/21/10 2:06:01 AM This Is NOT a Fire Drill Crisis Intervention and Prevention on College Campuses Rick A. Myer Richard K. James Patrice Moulton JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. JWBT364-FM.indd iii 10/21/10 2:06:01 AM This book is printed on acid-free paper. (cid:2) Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. 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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Myer, Rick. This is not a firedrill : crisis intervention and prevention on college campuses / Rick A. Myer, Richard K. James, Patrice Moulton. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-470-45804-4 (pbk. : acid-free paper) ISBN 978-0-470-92677-2 (ebk) ISBN 978-0-470-92678-9 (ebk) ISBN 978-0-470-92679-6 (ebk) 1. Universities and colleges—United States—Administration. 2. Crisis management—United States. 3. Crisis intervention (Mental health services)—United States. 4. Traumatic shock. I. James, Richard K., 1942– II. Moulton, Patrice, 1961– III. Title. LB2866.M94 2011 378.1’9713–dc22 2010036019 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 JWBT364-FM.indd iv 10/21/10 2:06:01 AM No matter how many plans are developed and steps taken to prevent crises, they will happen. Crises can be small or large, modest or intense, yet all send waves throughout a campus. Th is book is dedicated to the survivors of the many crises that have occurred on university and college campuses. Making meaning out of a situation in which you have little to no control, and most of the time no warning, is challenging to say the least. We respectfully acknowledge the struggle you’ve gone through. We also dedicate this book to the countless people who have provided support following disasters on university campuses. Being with survivors following a disastrous event and helping them start the healing process requires courage and fortitude. We salute your willingness to give of yourself. Finally, we dedicate this book to the people charged with the coordination of the recovery of a campus following a tragic event. Administrators and crisis management teams are faced with the unenviable task of making sense out of chaos. Your eff orts may go unnoticed and be criticized by some, but not by us. Our hats are off to you. JWBT364-FM.indd v 10/21/10 2:06:02 AM Contents Acknowledgments xi 1 ◆ . . . Or a Tornado or Earthquake Drill 1 A Brief History of Crisis Intervention 4 History of Crisis on College Campuses 6 Th e Contemporary College Scene 9 Summary 13 References 13 2 ◆ Boilerplate: Th e Basics of Crisis Intervention 15 Transcrisis States 18 Universality and Idiosyncrasy 22 Th eories of Crisis and Crisis Intervention 23 Applied Crisis Domains 31 Crisis Intervention Models 32 Universal Versus a Focused View of Diversity/Multiculturalism 36 Culturally Biased Assumptions 37 Th e Environment’s Impact on Cultural Development 38 Culturally Eff ective Helping 43 Summary 44 References 44 3 ◆ Herding Cats: Organizing a Crisis Response 49 Crisis Planning Primer: Common Terms 49 Current State of Crisis Management Planning in Higher Education 56 Building Blocks for Crisis Management Plans 63 Th ree Cs of Crisis Management Planning 71 vii JWBT364-FM.indd vii 10/21/10 2:06:02 AM viii CONTENTS Summary 77 References 78 4 ◆ Duller Th an Dirt . . . More Valuable Th an Gold: Policies and Procedures 81 Policy Development 82 Drafting Policy 86 Review of Policy Drafts 91 Basic Risk Management Recommendations 98 Summary 100 References 101 Appendix: Sample Th reats Policy 103 5 ◆ Th e Best of Times and the Worst of Times: Th e Tale of Two Laws 105 Tarasoff and Its Impact on Policy 105 Virginia Tech Inspector General Report: Going Beyond Tarasoff 107 Virginia Tech Counseling Center Actions Taken 108 Virginia Tech Follow-Up System 120 Summary 122 References 123 6 ◆ Reality Check: Entry into the System 125 Consulting 126 Practice 129 Case Study: Central University 134 Summary 135 References 135 Appendix: Case Study: Crisis at Central University 137 7 ◆ What You See Is What You Get . . . or Maybe Not: Assessment of the System 141 Chronosystem System 142 Organizational Factors Aff ected by a Crisis 179 Timeline for Assessment 188 Assessment Procedures 191 Methods for Assessment 193 Summary 199 References 199 8 ◆ No Rest for the Weary: System Recovery After a Crisis 203 Eight-Step Model for Organizations 203 Using the Eight-Step Model 217 Nine Intervention Strategies 222 Summary 230 References 230 JWBT364-FM.indd viii 10/21/10 2:06:02 AM Contents ix 9 ◆ Not Buying a Pig in a Poke 233 Understanding Th reats 234 Triage Assessment Scale for Students in Learning Environments (TASSLE) 239 Th reat Assessment Teams 251 Summary 267 References 268 10 ◆ Basic Training 271 Th e Eight-Step Model of Crisis Intervention in College Environments (Individuals) 271 Moving on the Directive, Collaborative, Nondirective Continuum 279 Tools of the Trade 281 Don’ts 290 Basic Strategies of Crisis Intervention 293 Listening and Responding in Crisis Intervention 299 Facilitative Listening in Crisis Intervention 299 Acting in Crisis Intervention: Staying Safe 306 Stages of Intervention 310 Rules of the Road 317 Summary 320 References 321 11 ◆ One Day at a Time: Survivorship in the Aftermath 325 Survivorship 326 Remembrance Services 329 Memorials 333 Survivor Recovery 335 Summary 341 References 341 12 ◆ Leadership Checklist: Preparing Your Campus for Crisis 345 Make Crisis Planning a Leadership Imperative 346 Ensure Understanding of FERPA, HIPAA, and OSHA 346 Develop a Crisis Management Plan 346 Make the Budget Available 347 Insist on Multiple Copies of Disaster Plans and Infrastructure Drawings 347 Ensure Comprehensive Assessment of Each Critical Incident 347 Ensure Proper Communication and Dissemination of Information 348 Ensure the Accuracy of Your Student Contact Information 348 Communicate and Partner with Outside Agencies 349 Require Regular Crisis Training and Situational Exercises 349 JWBT364-FM.indd ix 10/21/10 2:06:02 AM x CONTENTS Be Prepared to Take the Lead and Use Diff erent Methods 349 Seek Counsel on Risk-Management Recommendations 350 Develop a Comprehensive Recovery Plan 350 Be Prepared to Utilize Recovery to Achieve Long-Term Goals 350 Determine Alternatives to Minimize Enrollment Loss 351 Identify Resources on Your Campus 351 Remember: People First! 351 Author Index 353 Subject Index 359 JWBT364-FM.indd x 10/21/10 2:06:02 AM Acknowledgments S pecial thanks to Kathryn Heidke, Jennifer Duhon, and Sarah Prud’homme, students at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Your eff orts in helping us write this book are appreciated. Th anks also to Jamie N. Brownfi eld, Nancy N. Fair, Nickole R. Kopcha, Cristinia Kumpf, Kelley B. McNichols, Helena Ng, and Mary Rudberg, enrolled in the ExCES doctoral program at Duquesne University. Th e input and assistance you gave were in- valuable in the completion of this book. xi JWBT364-FM.indd xi 10/21/10 2:06:02 AM This Is NOT a Fire Drill: Crisis Intervention and Prevention on College Campuses by Rick A. Myer, Richard K. James and Patrice Moulton Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 . . . Or a Tornado or Earthquake Drill M iracle on 34th Street is a Christmas classic, a movie about a little girl who wanted to believe in Santa Claus, but her mom, an upwardly mobile executive at Macy’s, was a hardnosed realist who dismissed Santa Claus as a myth. If you have seen the movie, you will perhaps remember the character of Kris Kringle, who was played by Ed Gwenn. One of the great scenes in that movie was when Kris Kringle told a mother that Gimbel’s department store, a competitor of Macy’s, had the particular toy she was looking for. At fi rst the manager was appalled and wanted to fi re Kris, but then when upper management found out that it increased customer respect and loyalty, everybody on the sales staff was told to be helpful and direct customers to other stores if Macy’s didn’t have the particular product they were looking for. We’re going to do the same thing here. If you are really serious about the business of preventing, intervening, and following up in the traumatic wake of violence on your campus, we believe there are three books that need to make the cut on your reading list. Th e fi rst book is by Eugene Zdziarski and his associates, Campus Crisis Management (2007). It is a comprehensive guide to planning, prevention, response, and recovery of environmental, facility, and human crises in a college setting. It takes an in-depth look at the intricacies of managing all kinds of crisis on a college campus. Th e second book is Nicoletti, Spencer-Th omas, and Bollinger’s Violence Goes to College (2001). It’s about 10 years old, but it is still a really great book for understanding, preventing, and planning how to stop violence on college campuses. It covers a variety of violence typologies and also provides information on how to build intervention strategies to combat potentially virulent episodes that can metastasize and spread across a campus. Th e third book is Grayson and Meilman’s College Mental Health Practice (2006), which gives a graphic portrayal of what practitioners in college counseling centers are dealing with in regard to contemporary students. Th ese editors have done an excellent job of providing the reader with a comprehensive view of the legal and ethical, devel- opmental, and diversity issues that undergird a variety of mental disorders and acute and chronic crises that go far beyond homesickness, fl unking English, and broken romances. We think so highly of these authors and what they have to say that we have refer- enced them a lot in this book. Now that we have told you about these three great books, you may be wondering why in the world you bought this one. So why, indeed, read 1