When a crisis occurs, there are usually internal and external responders to help deal with the situation. The role of the internal responders is to be in direct contact with the people involved in the accident. They should be ready to produce and follow the crisis and mitigation plan that the institution or the organization had put in place in readiness for any crisis that might take place in their environment (National Education Association, 2013). The internal responders also use the provided steps for dealing with an emergency to help contain the situation.
Similarly, the internal responders take part in notifying external responders such as the police and the fire department of the crisis that has occurred. On the other hand, the external responders function in helping the internal responders to deal with the situation. For example, they possess skills such as fire fighting and emergency containment that are fundamental to the mitigation of crises (Spellings & Price, 2007). External responders also analyze the situation to find out the course of the problem. They work together with internal department to come up with effective solutions to the problem. External responders such as doctors and medical practitioners work in providing the necessary first aid and health services to help save the lives of the people involved in the accident.
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The school counsellors are some of the internal responders who play a significant role in helping to manage the crisis (Spellings & Price, 2007). They work with external responders to get access to the crisis management program. Once they get the program, the counsellor briefs the external responders on the steps to take in counselling activities for the involved students. The counsellor knows the students better than the responders; this helps them understand each student more.
For example, if the situation at hand involved massive school shooting that led to a traumatizing situation among most if not all students, then the school counsellors can work with other external counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other trauma therapists to enable them to understand the students better. He or she can give information about the conditions that some students like to foster effective counselling techniques (National Education Association, 2013). For example, the counsellor can identify students who respond well to group therapy and those who respond well to family and individual therapy. The counsellor will also provide effective information on how to help the teachers and other stakeholders in the school. Since she or he might not have worked closely with teachers and stakeholders during counselling sessions, the counsellor can help them find better help from an external therapist.
Some of the potential barriers to collaboration during a crisis might arise from the fact that the external responders may not want to abide by the disaster management program proposed by the school counsellors and stakeholders. Poor and ineffective communication between internal and external responders may also act as a barrier to effective collaboration between the nurse, internal and the external responders. Different operational activities between the internal and external responders can also act as a barrier to collaboration. When collaboration fails during a crisis, the counsellor should play the role of the negotiator and help the differing sections work together (Spellings & Price, 2007). The counsellor also plays the role of reunifying the two parties by making them see the bigger picture of the situation at hand. Through the counsellor, the two sides will receive the guidelines for resolving the issue between them and ensure that both sides compromise for the sake of solving the issue of the crisis. The counsellor can assume the lead role in giving direction and talking to people for each side to ensure that they reach a consensus so that they can work together for the greater good.
References
NationalEducationAssociation. (2013). School crisis guide: help and healing in a time of crisis. Sprint Foundation.
Spellings, M., & Price, D. (2007). Practical information on crisis planning: a guide for schools and communities. Jessup, MD: U.S. Department of Education.
