Prevention, Response, and Recovery:
Our interventions fall within a multi-tiered system of support
We believe any school staff member can provide support to students experiencing adversity or be a first responder. We offer trainings and consultations for all levels within school districts to create trauma-informed schools. Our trainings are for:
School Leaders
Teachers
Student Support Services
Including School Social Workers, Counselors, Psychologists, and Nurses
Staff and Paraprofessionals
Including Office, Custodial, and Cafeteria Staff
School Safety Professionals
Including Law Enforcement and Security Guards
Trauma-Informed Multi-Tiered System of Support
TIER 1
Whole-School Approaches
For any person who is part of a school community.
TIER 2
Early Intervention and Response
For counselors and other nonclinical support services staff.
TIER 3
Targeted Recovery after Exposure to Trauma
For school-based clinicians.
CONSULTATIONS
School Safety & Crisis Response
Center consultation includes:
• Threat assessment and prevention
• Crisis response and recovery
• Building a trauma-responsive MTSS
Tier 1: Whole-School Approaches
Tier 1 approaches are designed for any person who is part of a school community.
Trauma Responsive Leadership (TRL)
Today’s school leaders face increasing challenges related to student adversity, school and community violence, staff stress and burnout, and threats to a cohesive organizational culture. The Trauma-Responsive Leadership Curriculum equips school leaders with the relational, technical, and operational competencies needed to build comprehensive school environments that promote stability, resilience, and well-being for students, staff, and the broader school community.
Grounded in evidence-based trauma-informed practices, Neuroleadership, and Interest-Based Problem Solving (IBPS), the curriculum strengthens competencies in effective communication, trust-building, collaborative problem-solving, conflict management, crisis response, and systems leadership. Participants learn to cultivate safe, resilient, and healing-centered school ecosystems.
Mental Health Issues in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (MH-BTA)
MH-BTA offers specialized training for school-based mental health professionals, educators and SROs to help them understand the purpose of a school threat assessment within the contexts of violence prevention and child development. Participants will also learn how to identify 10 mental health factors that impact the five stages of a school threat assessment, and the specific contributions school mental health professionals can make in the processes of assessment and behavioral management.
Trauma-Informed Skills for Educators (TISE)
TISE is a self-paced online course that uses a strengths-based relational lens to help educators better understand trauma. Through this lens, the course equips educators with the knowledge and skills needed to recognize the effects of trauma on students and respond supportively with trauma-informed principles.
Psychological First Aid (PFA-TEACH)
The Psychological First Aid curriculum enables all school staff to support students and colleagues after community or school-based crises. Although this training is informed by cognitive-behavioral theory and neuroscience literature, the skills taught can be implemented by any adult on campus.
Support for Teachers Affected by Trauma (STAT)
Designed for preK-12 teachers, STAT is a self-paced online course with five modules that explore secondary trauma, risk factors associated with susceptibility to secondary traumatic stress (STS), the impact of STS across multiple life domains, and tangible self-care skills.
Tier 2: Early Intervention and Response
Tier 2 approaches are designed for counselors and other nonclinical support services staff.
Life Improvement for Teens (LIFT)
LIFT is a self-paced, dynamic e-learning course designed to help students exposed to stressful and traumatic events. Teens can complete this online, confidential course on their own or with the support of a school counselor or teacher.
Support for Students Exposed to Trauma (SSET)
SSET is a targeted intervention for students who have been exposed to a traumatic event and who are experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Delivered by nonclinical school personnel, this intervention is appropriate for students in 5th grade and above.
4 CE credit hours eligible
Tier 3: Targeted Recovery After Exposure to Trauma
Tier 3 approaches are designed for school-based clinicians.
CBITS and Bounce Back may be used as either Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions. When individualized targeted interventions are available, schools often use CBITS and Bounce Back as Tier 2 interventions. When individualized targeted interventions are not available, schools often use CBITS and Bounce Back as Tier 3 interventions.
Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)
CBITS is a targeted intervention for students who have been exposed to a traumatic event and who are experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Delivered by school-based clinicians, this intervention is appropriate for students in middle and high schools (grades 5–12).
5 CE credit hours eligible
Bounce Back
Bounce Back is a targeted intervention for students who have been exposed to a traumatic event and who are experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Delivered by school-based clinicians, this intervention is appropriate for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade.
6 CE credit hours eligible
Racial Trauma Module (RTM)
The Racial Trauma Module (RTM) is a psychoeducational module that can be delivered as a standalone module, as part of the CBITS curriculum, or as an add-on to the SSET curriculum. It provides youth with an overview of the effects of racism on levels of traumatic stress. In addition, the RTM provides school staff and adults with the foundational tools they need to acknowledge the effects of racism on youth by providing skills to create a space for students to talk about the impact of racism.
Proven Impact
The effectiveness of The Center's interventions and trainings has been researched and demonstrated in numerous studies.
In a randomized controlled study, students who received CBITS had clinically significant reductions in symptoms of PTSD and depression (Journal of the American Medical Association).
A study demonstrated that students who received Bounce Back had significant reductions in PTSD and anxiety-related symptoms (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology).
An evaluation of Trauma Informed Skills for Educators (TISE) found that 100% of educators who received the training would recommend it to a colleague (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).
An evaluation demonstrated reductions in symptoms of PTSD, depression, and teacher-reported behavioral problems in students.
Consultations
The Center works with schools and districts to prevent, manage, and recover from traumatic events. Our process includes three stages: needs assessment and evaluation, strategy and planning, and implementation.
The rise in violent incidents on school campuses has been well documented, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive crisis prevention and response strategies. The Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces (CSR) offers ongoing consultation services led by experts in trauma and school safety to help schools and districts establish robust, proactive protocols.
Our consultation services are designed to partner closely with your school or district to:
- Enhance the comprehensive and intentional school safety plan that includes assessment of current processes, safety protocols, and trauma-informed safety drills tailored to your school community.
- Clarify crisis team structure and responsibilities including identifying fixed points of accountability within the crisis intervention plan and defining the roles of all stakeholders across the school community.
- Design and implement communication and reunification plans with standardized notification templates to ensure timely, coordinated outreach to all stakeholders, adaptable to a wide spectrum of crisis situations.
- Support the implementation of effective threat assessment team protocols that prevent targeted violence, enable timely early interventions, and ensure ongoing monitoring and support for students—ultimately enhancing safety for faculty, students, and staff.
Our training and consultation team brings firsthand experience from many of the nation’s most high-profile targeted school shootings since 1984. We draw on lessons learned by educators and school mental health professionals who served as first responders and trauma recovery coordinators in the aftermath of on-campus mass violence.
Following a traumatic incident, we provide real-time crisis consultation and response services tailored to the specific needs of schools, districts, and surrounding communities. Our team includes consultants who have lived through major mass violence tragedies and now draw upon that experience to support others navigating similar crises.
We offer guidance across key areas of support and recovery, including but not limited to:
- Ongoing trauma-informed care and recovery planning
- Liaison support for highly impacted families and survivors
- Administrative oversight and coordination
- Cross-system collaboration with internal and external partners
- Implementation of updated safety protocols in partnership with law enforcement
- Responsive support for faculty, students, families, and the broader school community
- Consultation with educational, clinical, and mental health teams
- Active participation in school, district, and community events
- Planning and facilitation of commemoration activities and milestones
- Support related to legal proceedings and trial coordination
- Identification and response to incidents that may result in re-traumatization
- Navigating the process of memorialization
The Introduction to School Emergency Plans & Operations training is designed to provide an overview for local school and district personnel who are responsible for creating and managing their Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The training is also relevant for other community stakeholders (first responders, emergency services personnel, SROs, etc.) who are important partners in developing a quality school and district EOP. The training explains the six-step planning process and incident command system that complies with federal standards designated by FEMA, NIMS, and ICS, as well as state laws and local codes.
This training mirrors the training that your municipal partners receive so that they and school personnel will be able to quickly and efficiently work together. This five-hour training, broken down into two days, covers four modules:
- The need for an EOP and the five emergency preparedness missions outlined by PPD-8 and FEMA
- An overview of how to develop a quality school and district EOP
- Implementation of the federally recommended planning principles, six-step planning process, and Incident Command System
- Recommended additional training
Additionally, this training uses a trauma-informed lens that will help school personnel minimize the disruptive traumatic effects of emergencies for both students and school staff.
This essential training:
- Protects and reassures students, parents, and staff
- Minimizes some of the traumatic effects of emergencies
- Complies with federal standards, as well as FEMA regulations, NIMS, ICS, state laws, and local codes