EDPS

684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

2015-
2016

Student: Melissa Martin

NASP Domain 6: Preventive and Responsive Services

School psychologists have knowledge of principles and research related to

resilience and risk factors in learning and mental health, services in schools
and communities to support multitiered prevention, and evidence-based
strategies for effective crisis response. (NASP, 2010)

School psychologists, in collaboration with others, demonstrate skills to

promote services that enhance learning, mental health, safety, and physical
well-being through protective and adaptive factors and to implement effective
crisis preparation, response, and recovery. (NASP, 2010)

Specific Skill to be Addressed in this Contract:

Crisis Intervention, Response, and Recovery

Rationale:


While reflecting on my competency of the NASP ten domains of school psychology
graduate education and practice, I found that I am lacking experience in the 6th domain
for preventive and responsive services. Specifically, I require more knowledge and skill
development in crisis intervention, response, and recovery. Mental health professionals
need to work with intervention teams to prepare and respond to a crisis. They also need
to implement programming for recovery in order to ensure that impacted individuals are
able to recuperate after a traumatic event. In order for me to develop my practice in this
area, I will implement the following activity plan.

Activity Plan:
1. Attend a lecture on violent risk assessment (July 24, 2015)
On July 24, 2015, I attended a lecture for my EDPS 676 Practicum course about violent
risk assessment. In this lesson, I learned about the following:

The purpose and history of risk assessment

Two components of risk assessment: prediction and management
Judgment errors and biases
Warning behaviors

 EDPS 684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

2015-
2016

Rating Scale Measurements: Hares Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R), Structure

Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), Adolescent & Child Urgent
Threat Evaluation (ACUTE)

During this lecture, I watched an episode of the television program Doc Zone entitled
The Psychopath Next Door, located at this website: www.cbc.ca/doczone/m/episodes/thepsychopath-next-door. This documentary included interviews from Dr. Stephen Porter, a
Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and Dr. Robert
Hare, professor emeritus at UBC who is the FBIs top consulting psychologist on
psychopaths. They provided information about the diagnostic characteristics of a
psychopath.
I read the following article in preparation for this lecture:
Webster, C.D., Bloom, H., & Augimeri, L. (2009). Violence risk assessment in everyday
psychiatric practice: Twelve principles help guide clinicians. Forensic
Psychiatry, 26(12),1-7. Retrieved from:
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1491923
The following books were recommended for additional reading, which I intend to
complete to further my development in violent risk assessment:

Babiak, P. & Hare, R.D. Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. New
York, NY: Harper Business

Hare, R.D. (1999). Without Conscience. New York, NY: The Guilford Press

Meloy, J.R. (2000). Violence and Risk Assessment. San Diego, CA: Specialized
Training Services.

2. Volunteer with Calgary Distress Centre (September 2015 - ongoing)

In order to gain experience with my counselling skills and crisis response, I will be
applying to become a volunteer at the Calgary Distress Center as a Crisis Line Volunteer.
The responsibilities of this volunteer position include:

Provide support, counselling, and crisis intervention to people over the phone and
online via chat
Provide information and referrals to outside agencies depending on need
Utilize tools and skills honed by classroom theory in training, complete
practical/on-going training, and receive continuous feedback from supervisors

 EDPS 684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

2015-
2016

Assess risk, discuss client concerns, clarify their feelings, explore options, and
break their problems down into smaller pieces in order to enable clients to begin
to take charge in small, meaningful ways

The responsibilities of this volunteer position are the following:

One Observation Shift 4 hours
3 weeks of classroom training, involving theory, discussion, and role-playing.
Classes will be offered from Sept. 8-26. The training modules are crisis
intervention, relationships, grief and loss, mental health, suicide, youth issues,
addictions, partnerships and online services, domestic violence, documentation.
The training class schedule is every:
o Tuesday
6:00pm 9:00pm
o Thursday
6:00pm 9:00pm
o Saturday
9:00am 4:00pm
Four Seven Coaching Shifts: 16 - 28 hours
48 shifts must be competed within one year
My goal is to be able to implement this training in crisis intervention towards my
internship placement for September 2015 to June 2016.
3. Complete crisis intervention, response, and recovery training through my
internship placement site (October 8 and 9, 2015)
I registered for a Prepare Workshop on October 8 and 9 that is being offered in Rocky
View Schools for crisis intervention and recovery. The Prepare curriculum was
developed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to provide crisis
prevention and response capabilities to school-based mental health professionals at the
local level.
At this two-day workshop, we will be trained in the following:

How to prevent and prepare for psychological trauma

Reaffirm both the physical and mental health of members of the school
community and students perceptions following a school-associated crisis event
by making them feel safe and secure
Examine the effectiveness of school crisis intervention and recovery efforts

4. Attempt to implement my acquired training in crisis intervention, response, and

recovery within my internship placement (September 2015 June, 2016)
The following is a timeline of my implementation strategy of crisis intervention,
response, and recovery within my internship placement at Rocky View Schools:

 EDPS 684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

2015-
2016

Task
Research and review
Rocky View School
Districts policies on
crisis intervention and
response

Time Frame
September

Become familiar with

the different outside
agencies that are
online and within the
Rocky View County
to provide indirect
and direct assistance
for crisis intervention
and response around
Rocky View Schools

September

Complete the Prepare October and

Workshop. Meet with November
school-based mental
health professionals to
learn more about
crisis intervention,
response, and
recovery within the
school district

Learning Objective
1) Review the Rocky View Schools Action
Plan, particularly Goal #1 where it outlines that
Learners need to feel safe and valued:
http://www.rockyview.ab.ca/publications/3yp_
3/goal_one
2) Familiarize myself with the districts School
Emergency Plan:
http://www.rockyview.ab.ca/families/assets_pa
rents/RVS-Parent-Summary.pdf
3) Review the RCMP Protocol in partnership
with Rocky View Schools:
http://www.rockyview.ab.ca/board_policies/pr
oceduresmanual/general/c_rcmprvscommunica
tionprotocol.pdf/at_download/file
4) Read the districts Critical Incident
Communication Protocol:
http://www.rockyview.ab.ca/board_policies/pr
oceduresmanual/support/ecriticalincidentprotocol/at_download/file
1) Research information available through the
following:
- Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute Inc.
(CRTI): https://ca.ctrinstitute.com
- The Mandt System:
http://www.mandtsystem.com (this has
replaced Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
Training in Rocky View Schools)
- Family and Community Support Services
Association of Alberta (FCSSAA):
http://fcssaa.org (FCSSAA provides crisis
response to communities within the Rocky
View County)
1) Attend the Prepare Crisis Intervention and
Recovery Workshop on October 8 and 9
2) Meet and collaborate with other mental
health support staff in the district to discuss
crisis intervention, response, and recovery
strategies that can be utilized within the school
district (i.e. Guidance Counsellors, Child
Development Advisors, Psychologists,
Family School Liaison Workers, Learning
Specialists, etc.)

 EDPS 684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

2015-
2016

Task
Time Frame
Work and collaborate December with other mental
June
health professionals in
the district to
implement crisis
prevention and
intervention strategies
acquired from
previous research and
training

Learning Objective
1) Connect with mental health professionals to
identify target student population(s) who may
be in need of crisis intervention.
2) Implement acquired strategies in crisis
intervention and response with targeted
population(s) along with other collaborating
mental health professionals within Rocky
View Schools.

Grading Rubric:
The following rubric is how I will evaluate my progress throughout the components of
my activity plan that are yet to be completed during my final internship:
Activity Plan
Component

Volunteering
with Calgary
Distress Center

Prepare Crisis
Intervention and
Recovery
Training

Research and
review Rocky
View School
Districts policies
on crisis
intervention and
response

Below Expectations

Approaching
Expectations

Meeting Expectations

Application has been

submitted by the end
of August. However,
interview and/or
training still needs to
be completed after
September.

Application has been

submitted, interview
has been completed and
I have been approved as
a volunteer. Training
has been completed by
the end of September.

Unable to attend one

or both days of
training. Did not
complete course
training requirements,
activities, or readings.

Attended both days of

training but did not
complete the entire
course training
requirements,
activities, and
readings.

Attended both days of

training and completed
the entire course
training requirements,
activities, and readings.

Did not review the

policies of Rocky
View Schools in
regards to crisis
intervention and
response.

Reviewed the policies

of Rocky View
Schools in regards to
crisis intervention and
response but did not
discuss them with my
internship supervisor.

Reviewed the policies

of Rocky View Schools
in regards to crisis
intervention and
response and discussed
them with my
internship supervisor.

Have not submitted

application to
volunteer by the end
of August. No
training or
volunteering has taken
place by the end of
September.

 EDPS 684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

Activity Plan
Component
Become familiar
with the
different outside
agencies that are
online and
within the Rocky
View County to
provide indirect
and direct
assistance for
crisis
intervention and
response around
Rocky View
Schools
Meet with
school-based
mental health
professionals to
learn more
about crisis
intervention,
response, and
recovery within
the school
district.
Work and
collaborate with
other mental
health
professionals in
the district to
implement crisis
prevention and
intervention
strategies
acquired from
previous
research and
training

2015-
2016

Below Expectations

Approaching
Expectations

Meeting Expectations

Did not research and

review the outside
agencies that can
assist Rocky View
Schools in regards to
crisis intervention and
response. Also, did
not discuss these
agencies with my
internship supervisor.

Completed some
research and review of
outside agencies that
can assist Rocky View
Schools in regards to
crisis intervention and
response. However, I
did not discuss these
agencies with my
internship supervisor.

Completed sufficient
research and review of
outside agencies that
can assist Rocky View
Schools in regards to
crisis intervention and
response. I also
discussed these
agencies with my
internship supervisor.

Did not meet with any

school-based mental
health professionals to
learn about and
discuss crisis
intervention, response,
and recovery within
the school district.

Met with only one or

two school-based
mental health
professionals to learn
about and discuss
crisis intervention,
response, and
recovery within the
school district.

Met and collaborated

with two or more
school-based mental
health professionals to
learn about and discuss
crisis intervention,
response, and recovery
within the school
district.

Did not meet with any

school-based mental
health professionals to
implement any crisis
intervention or
response
programming with
targeted school
populations.

Met with school-based

mental health
professionals to
discuss
implementation of
crisis intervention or
response
programming with
targeted school
populations.
However, no
programming was
carried out.

Met with school-based

mental health
professionals and
implemented crisis
intervention and/or
response programming
with targeted school
populations.

 EDPS 684 FURTHERING ACTIVITY CONTRACT

This agreement is made on this day of

July 29, 2015

Signature: ________________________________
Melissa Martin,
M.Ed. Student, University of Calgary

2015-
2016