School psychological emergency interventions proposal for guidelines based on recent Israeli experience

The Yom Kippur War and its stressful aftermath created a number of special psychological effects in Israeli schools. During that period mental health and counseling services were available and made use of in the educational system. Extensive experiences permit an attempt to delineate guidelines for future school psychological emergency interventions. These guidelines rest on the supposition that the planning and delivery of professional emergency interventions resemble those governing routine mental health services in a number of crucial aspects. Firstly, the need for an educated anticipation of problems, their kinds, their ecology and other characteristics. Schematically, three categories of emergency reactions could be expected in schools: shock and grief, and other acute disturbances; fear and its psychological concomitants; confusion, perplexity, and their attitudinal accompaniments. It is noted that the stressful event can also generate positive effects. Secondly, the necessity for a preliminary, on the spot, assessment of psychological affliction in any specific emergency case. Such examination should be done against the background of the total emergency situation (locally and country-wide), as well as the chronic characteristics of the particular school or system. Third, the requirement for deliberate planning of the intervention program. In this phase, judgements have to be made about the recipients of the aid, the methods of help and the levels at which professional services will be extended. Fourth, the consideration of important clinical and community psychological principles during the execution of the program.