An intervention to increase psychological preparedness for teachers, staff and leadership in pre-K-8 schools during emergencies.
The research project involved co-creation, implementation and evaluation of a psychological preparedness training for the public-school workforce, complimenting their current emergency preparedness plans and drills. The project also included shared leadership and peer support components, encouraging teachers to support one another and engage with emergency preparedness planning and drills. We worked with six schools from Cherry Creek School District with about 300 school-based personnel. Now that the study is complete, we aim to offer this intervention to other school districts throughout the region.
Thanks to their dedication to workplace health, safety, and well-being through this project, Cherry Creek School District's Safety and Security Team was awarded the Community Impact Award for the Center's 2023 Partner Awards.
This training will make employees feel more psychologically prepared for an emergency, and will increase peer support related to emergency preparedness.
— Courtney Welton-Mitchell PhD, MA Clinical Assistant Professor
This project stems from lessons learned from the Small+Safe+Well study and draws on the following research.
James, L., Welton-Mitchell, C., Noel, J.R., & James, A. (2019). Integrating mental health and disaster preparedness in intervention: RCT with earthquake and flood-affected communities in Haiti. Psychological Medicine, 1–11.
Welton-Mitchell, C., James, L., Khanal, S.N., James, A. (2018). An integrated approach to mental health and disaster preparedness: A cluster comparison with earthquake-affected communities in Nepal. BMC Psychiatry, Sep 15;18(1):296.
Addressing Workplace Stress