The Self-Reported Effects of Crisis Intervention Work on School Psychologists

Abstract

Documenting the effects of crisis intervention work on school psychologists was the primary purpose of this study. To examine these effects a sample of 400 randomly selected school psychologists were surveyed. Half of the surveys were returned. Among respondents who had previously participated in a crisis intervention, just over 90% reported one or more of 37 specific negative reactions following crisis intervention work. Physical reactions in general and fatigue/exhaustion in particular were the most frequently reported reactions. All respondents reported use of self-care strategies and 94% viewed these strategies as important. Implications of these findings for the practice of school psychology are discussed.