A Psychoeducation for Teachers Skill-Building Guide

1. A Psychoeducation for Teachers Skill-Building Guide

2. On-the-Spot Interventions to Manage Crises
 Managing a student in crisis is an extremely challenging task, but at the
same time, a skilled crisis management can represent a unique
opportunity for the student to learn new and improved behaviors. The
strategies that follow are suitable for handling chronic and recurrent
acting-out episodes, as well as crises management, so that teachers are
not only well equipped to defuse the crisis or acting-out episode, but
they can also help the student grow from the experience. Most of the
strategies presented here were adapted from the work in crisis
management developed by Greenstone and Leviton.
 Anger is a state of high emotional arousal. The angrier the child is, the
less able he or she will be in dealing with the situation rationally, which
means that, at the moment of the crisis or acting-out episode, the
student’s logical thinking and other cognitive functions may be
impaired. An enraged student may be immune to verbal interventions,
in particular advising or lecturing the child, and we should intervene
with the child only at a point when we believe the child is receptive to
hear any new messages.

3. Initial Interventions

4. Approaching the Scene
 When handling a student in crisis, our primary intervention is to
make sure that the student, and others near him or her, are safe.
As an initial intervention, we need to clear the area of people
that do not need to be there, particularly other students. The
fewer people intruding, the safer it will be.
 Approach the area carefully. Greenstone and Leviton (1993)
recommend scanning the place, taking a moment to compute
mentally what we see and hear. The authors also recommend
that we stand one and a half to three feet away from the child.
This is done to avoid invading the child’s personal space, so that
the child does not perceive that we are a threat. Additionally,
assume a nonthreatening posture and keep your hands visible to
the child and free of any objects.

5. Creating Rapport
 The best person to intervene with a student in crisis is the
person who already has established good rapport with the
child. If you need to manage a crisis and you have no
rapport or know little about the child, you can establish on-
the-spot rapport by saying something positive to the
student. For example, you can emphasize the child’s
strengths, or you can engage the child in any casual
conversation to keep the communication open. You can
value the child’s uniqueness as an individual and comment
on your certainty that the child has the willingness and the
ability to get through the situation. Effective crises
managers confidently communicate to the child that you
will solve the crisis together and that, at the end, the child
will benefit and grow from the experience.

6. Another way to create on-the-spot rapport
with the student…
 Ally with one aspect of the child’s behavior; for
example, you are amazed at how good the child is with
words; the child is not afraid of speaking his mind, or
the child is a leader that other students admire and
follow. We can also do an “on-the-spot change of self-
image,” attributing positive qualities to the child, and
expressing our confidence that the child wants to do
what is right. For example, saying, “I know you want to
do the right thing.” Using self-disclosures and “me too”
statements (e.g., “Something similar happened to me
when I was your age…”) is another way of creating
rapport.

7. Avoiding Power Struggles
 An angry and aggressive student can easily ignite
counter-aggressive feelings in those intervening with
him. We need to stay calm; do not join a power
struggle, and do not mirror the student’s behaviors,
such as yelling, threatening, or using sarcasm. Ignore
minor defiance and do not get into arguments. Make a
planned effort of not fighting with the student.

8. More guidelines
 Give warnings, not threats.
 Let the child “save the face” in front of his peers. Speak to the
child privately.
 Use a symbolic limit like getting up and picking up the phone to
call the principal’s office or the child’s parents.
 Individualize the rules and techniques implemented for each
child.
 Use a controlled, gentle tone of voice with a slow rate of speech
to project calmness and to give reassurance. Contrary to common
belief, teachers should lower the voice, not raise it, when we are
trying to catch students’ attention. Use a spontaneous, friendly
conversational approach.
 We can move a child from an agitated to a calm state of mind
using only our eyes and tone of voice.

9. Managing the Crisis

10. You are a problem manager, not a problem
solver
 As Greenstone and Leviton (1993) say, when we are handling a crisis, we
are a problem manager. Our job is to guide the child out of the crisis
state; we do not need to provide a solution for the problem. In other
words, we manage the crisis, but we do not need to solve the problem
that created the crisis. Avoid promising that you are going to fix the
problem; instead, offer your help by asking, “How can I help?” “What
can I do to help?” or commenting, “I can help if you control yourself.”
We need to send the message to the student that we hear him, and that
we will deal with the current problem together.
 Sometimes, saying nothing and simply listening to the child is the best
approach. We can silently empathize with the child by nodding,
touching the child on the shoulder, and with our facial expression and
tone of voice. We can also use minimal encouragers like, “Uh-huh,” “Go
ahead,” or “I’m listening…” to motivate the child to tell us more.

11. Asking Questions
 One way for the teacher to remain calm during the
crisis is to concentrate in asking questions. We can
handle a whole crisis exclusively by asking questions,
without making comments, expressing our opinion,
criticizing, or lecturing the child. Asking the right
questions at the right moment can change practically
anything.

12. Some guidelines for asking questions…
 Ask short, direct questions that will help you clarify the
problem. To guide the questioning, use wh-questions: who,
what, where, when, and how, avoiding “why” questions.
 Ask one question at a time, and give the student enough
time to answer the question before asking the next one.
 Ask questions in a nonthreatening way, without cornering
or accusing the student.
 Another questioning technique is to change the problem or
concern at hand into a question, and looking for a tentative
solution by answering the question.
 Ask clarification questions; for example, “What do you
mean by ‘weird’?” “Give me an example,” or “Give me more
details.”

13. Soothing Angry Feelings
 Pace the student by restating his concern without anything added or
taken away. Be specific, and say what you have to say in short segments,
without extra words, explanations, or long segments. Keep your
remarks under thirty seconds, checking periodically to see if the child
understands, and asking the child to comment on what you just said.
More guidelines:
 With very young children, use graphic examples, and have the child
picture what you are saying. Ask questions like, “Do you see what I
mean?” or tell the child, “I want you to see this in your mind.”
 Communicate your acceptance and understanding of the child’s
concern rapidly; you might say, “I hear you… Losing the tokens you
already earned can be frustrating.”
 Do not minimize the student’s concern, but minimize the weight of the
problem. The message we need to send to the child is that we
understand why he is upset, but the situation can be solved and will be
solved. Say, “When you calm down, we can work on this problem.”

14. Empathize
 Show concern and interest in what the student has to say.
For example, say, “I heard the other students, but I really
want to understand what happened from your point of
view. Tell me how this started.”
 Define the objective; for example, “I know you feel angry.
What would help you feel better? What do you want?”
 Show empathy. It is important to understand what
happened from the child’s perspective.
 Use a soothing response; that is, hear what the child has to
say, and then make an empathic comment on the child’s
feelings.

15. Validate Feelings
 Validate and acknowledge the student’s feelings; for
example, “You seem really angry about this.”
 Defuse the student’s anger by validating the content. For
example, “What you are saying makes sense. I agree that…”
 Make inferences and ask questions that open the door for
the student to talk about his feelings. For example, “Other
children in your situation would feel frustrated. Is that how
you are feeling right now?”
 Encourage the angry child to talk as much as possible, not
only about the problem, but also about any topic that the
child wants. However, set limits on what the child can say
or do (i.e., no cursing or threatening, and no destruction of
property).

16. Talk Calmly
 Have the child talk calmly, using a low tone of voice and
speaking slowly.
 To reduce the child’s anger, have him soften his eyes and
relax his face muscles. It will be a lot harder for the child to
remain angry without an angry face.
 Ask the child to repeat or rephrase what you just said to
slow him down.
 Gradually shift the child from acting out his feelings
(hitting, kicking, or fighting) to talking rationally about
how he is feeling.
 Invite the child to sit, and then, you both sit. Speak with
the child (not to the child) at eye level.

17. Distance the Child from Triggers
 Physically distance the child from any provocative cues
or people. Either you can remove the provocation by
clearing the scene, or you can remove the child from
the setting.
 To remove the child from a provocative setting,
suggest going to a quieter, private place, and change
locations. Alternatively, suggest a time out, asking the
child if he wants the time out, or commenting that you
need the time out.

18. Focus on the Now
 The complete loss of self-control that takes place at the
time of a crisis can be a terrifying experience for any
child. Support the student for the management of
panic and guilt. Make sure the child sees you in control
of the situation, and reassure the child that you will
guide him throughout the experience until he can
control himself.
 Focus on the now and present of the situation, not on
what happened two weeks earlier (the problem’s
history).

19. One Problem at a Time
 Remember that the immediate goal is to guide the student
out of the troubled state, not to solve the problem.
Greenstone and Leviton (1993) advice that, as crises
managers, we answer the question, “How can I intervene in
the most effective way in the least amount of time?” Our
understanding of the crisis will help deciding which
problem is of most immediate concern or is the one we
need to deal with first.
 Quickly assess with what resources you can count on to
manage the crisis, and what obstacles you may face in the
process.
 Target one problem at a time.

20. Give Positive Directions
 Use situation-specific dialogue (describing the
situation), and behavior-specific dialogue
(observations about the behavior).
 Use temporary language; for example, “When you feel
better…” or “I know you feel angry now,” to help the
student see the crisis as short lived.
 Use coached dialogue and help the child articulate her
ideas.
 Give positive directions, telling the child what she
should do rather than what she should not do.

21. Agree with the Child
 Agree with the child as much as possible. For example, if the
child says, “You never listen to me!” you can answer, “You are
right. I probably could have responded to you without accusing
you...” Alternatively, you can partially agree with the child, for
example,
 Student: Your desk is a mess!
 Teacher: You are right. For me is more important to take care of
my students than to take care of my desk.
 Build on what the student is saying. Teachers accomplish much
more if, instead of reacting negatively to what we do not like, we
look for what we can agree with, so that we stay positive.
Changing a no to a yes moves us away from confrontation and
straight into influence and negotiation.

22. Listen for Meanings
 Listen to the real message of what the child is saying. For
example, “You are late!” can be an accusation or a sigh of relief;
“You never listen to me!” may signify complaint or a willingness
to communicate.
 Ask for permission to discuss the child’s feelings; for example, “Is
it okay with you if we talk about how you are feeling right now?”
Alternatively, “Will be okay with you if we try to figure out what
is really bothering you?”
 Suggest a distracting activity with numbers like counting to fifty,
counting backwards, counting odd or even numbers, skip
counting, or reciting the timetables. Other distracting activities
that you can suggest to the child are drawing, playing a board
game, going for a walk, drinking water, or refreshing the face.
Alternatively, you can use a distraction sentence such as, “Oh,
look what is outside the window.”

23. Relax the Child
 Keep the child busy so that he invests his “anger
energy” into something positive, such as fixing the
classroom’s library or sharpening pencils. Help the
student redirect anger into something positive.
 Suggest a relaxation exercise such as deep breathing or
the robot/rag doll technique (muscles tense/muscles
loose).
 Make a funny or odd request.

24. Doing a Quick Assessment
 When handling a crisis or acting-out episode, we need to assess quickly
if a brief intervention will be enough, or if we are going to need a more
in-depth approach. Some issues can be resolved fast, others cannot. On
most occasions, a teacher’s time and availability are limited; for
example, when we are in the middle of a lesson and taking care of a
class. However, if you are teaching students with recurrent behavior
problems, you know well that crises and chronic acting-out episodes do
not wait for the appropriate moment, or until you are available. You
need to be able to respond, and you need to respond fast.
 Long, Wood, and Fecser (2001) recommend a three-step approach to
crisis intervention:
 First Step: Label the cause for the behavior and anger; for instance, the
child is frustrated with the instructional task.
 Second Step: Determine if you need a surface or an in-depth
intervention.
 Third Step: Implement the intervention.

25. Suggest a Temporary Solution
 If, due to your limited availability you need a faster
intervention, use the “Do this for me” temporary
solution, or use a “Do what is right for now” solution.
Make sure the child knows that you will deal with her
concern when you have the time. For example, you
might say to the child, “I want you to sit on the back of
the room quietly for ten minutes. In ten minutes, I will
move the class to the art room, and then, we can talk
about this.”

26. Give Choices
 As much as possible, give the child choices.
 Help the student recognize which choices she can make, and
identify the positives and negatives of each choice. Remind the
student that she selects how she reacts to any situation.
 Remind the child of the consequences of her behavior, and
remind her that she is responsible for both her behavior and the
consequences of the behavior.
 Borrow a solution from a similar problem. Remind the student of
past solutions to problems.
 Build on last successes. For example, “When Shawn pushed you
this morning, you remained calm. That showed maturity and
self-control. I know you can do the same thing this time.” Help
the child focus on past successes rather than her current
perception of failure.

27. Restore Self-Control
 Do not contradict or confront the student’s denial
(e.g., “I cannot do it”). Instead, identify an example of
another day and time when she was successful.
 Help the student identify areas in which she can
exercise self-control.
 Give the child power in some minor issue to restore a
sense of self-control. You can tell the child, “Would
you like to _____?”
 For the “I cannot do it” child, use “Do it for me” and
“Do as I tell you” statements. This way, during the
crisis, you provide the structure for the child.

28. Support the Child
 For the “I don’t care!” student, say calmly, “I respect your
thinking, but I do care for your safety (or your well-being).
I’m concerned about (your safety, being suspended from
school, or your learning). As the adult here, I need you to
_____ (describe the behavior you want).”
 For a child that is hard to reach, or denies that she has a
problem, use the imaginary child technique, telling the
story of another child, her same age and gender, that finds
herself doing _____ (present a parallel problem). Ask the
child for solutions to this imaginary child’s problem. In
addition, you may suggest solutions.

29. Use Suggestions
 Use a student like you technique. Say, “You know, last year I had a
student with a similar problem. Her name was _____, and she
was _____.”
 Use the superhero technique. You might say, “I wonder what
Spiderman would say about this if he were watching. When you
_____, what do you think Spiderman have said about the way you
reacted?” With an older child, we can easily adapt this technique,
using an imaginary observer or a sports hero.
 Indirect suggestions are extremely powerful. Talking to another
adult in the room, say what you want the child to do, making
sure the child is listening. For example, “Luis is a smart boy. I’m
confident that he understands that he needs to show self-control
now, and he is going to put all this behind him.”

30. Wonder
 Talk directly to the child’s wants and needs, associating the
target behavior (self-control) with the child’s personal
needs; for example, the child’s need of approval from peers
or the feeling of pride that comes when he exercises self-
control.
 Use reflection and interpretation, such as, “I notice that
each time Gregory and you are together, you end up
fighting someone (reflection). I wonder if you are allowing
your friends to pick your battles for you (interpretation).”
 Use I wonder reflections like, “I wonder if Gregory will
share responsibility with you on this fight.”

31. Allow Verbal Venting
 If the student tries to change the subject, decode the behavior.
You might say, “When we talk about things that you do not like
to hear, it is not going to help you to change the subject.”
Alternatively, “I know that you are feeling upset about being
blamed for this fight, but we can work through this situation.”
 Redirect the child back to the problem at hand by saying, “What
is important now is that you _____” or “Your fight with Jonathan
is what matters.”
 Ignore the irrelevant parts of what the child says, and zoom in on
what really matters to him; for instance, fear of consequences
like losing his tokens or a school’s suspension.
 Allow some verbal venting.

32. You’re in Charge
 Sometimes, we have no other choice but to take charge
of the situation using an authoritative verbal
command in order to establish control. On other
occasions, we need to insist on a halt by saying, “Stop!
That’s enough! We will talk about this later.” This is
what the clinical literature calls dead end the anger.
When we use this technique, it is imperative that we
follow with a disengagement from the situation, and
that we distract the child onto another subject or
activity.

33. Handling Hostility
 Some guidelines to handle the child’s hostility:
 If the child says something that you do not like, play dumb, pretending that
you did not hear well or you did not understand. You might say, “What is that
word that you used? I’m not sure that I’m following what you are trying to say.
Please use another word to explain to me exactly what you mean.”
 Refuse verbal abuse; you might say, “I am willing to listen to you, but I do not
like to hear cursing or threats.” State the ground rules necessary for you to
listen and to help.
 Neutralize the child’s hostility towards you by inserting an affirmation of some
positive attribute in the student.
 Respond graciously and with silent dignity to personal attacks (e.g., “Your
breath stinks!” “You have a big head!” “I can beat you up!”). Instead of reacting
surprised or annoyed for such remarks, you can use affirmations that admire
the student’s strengths and abilities.
 With subtle humor, reframe the student’s remarks, shifting the focus from you
to the student. Comment on the student’s “observation skills and sharp
attention to details,” the child’s “descriptive and varied vocabulary,” her “strong
will and character,” or the child’s “interest in others.”

34. Bringing the Crisis to a Close

35. Clarify the Central Issue
 Long, Wood, and Fecser (2001) advice finding a central issue and
forming a short statement, such as, “It seems that calling names lead to
problems,” or “You think you had the right to curse Jonathan because
he cursed you.” The authors propose that we ask the student to put the
central issue into his own words; for example, asking, “What do you
think is important in all this?” or “Let us list the major points here.” If
necessary, you can use lead-ins like, “We have been talking about…” or
“For what I hear, you…”
 Additional recommendations from these authors are:
 Summarize the central issue by reviewing the major points during and
at the end of the conversation with the child. Either the teacher or the
student can summarize.
 Prepare the student for reentry, reassuring the child that he will return
to the classroom successfully. For example, “When you go back to the
classroom, stay focused on the lesson (or calm and cool).”

36. Get a Commitment from the Child
 Help the student anticipate problems by asking questions like, “What
will you do if _____?” “What if Jonathan does not listen to you? What
will happen if he says _____? Jonathan will expect you to say you are
sorry… What will you say to him?” Help the student imagine how
others are going to react.
 Rehearse the student; for example, “Tell me what you are going to say
to Jonathan when we leave here. Pretend I’m Jonathan; what will you
say to me? What are you going to tell the other kids when they ask
where you were? Seems like a good plan to me.”
 Close the issue, and get a commitment from the student that he will
follow the plan.
 The time shortly after the crisis can be very productive in terms of the
student learning new social skills and gaining new insights. Keeping
this in mind, have the student reflect about the crisis by asking, “What
can you learn from this?” and “Tell me of different ways you can handle
the same problem in the future.”

37. Bibliography
1. Greenstone, L. L., & Leviton, S. C. (1993). Elements of
crisis intervention: Crises and how to respond to
them. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
2. Leviton, S. C., & Greenstone, J. L. (1997). Elements of
mediation. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
3. Long, N. J., Wood, M. M., & Fecser, F. A. (2001). Life
space crisis intervention: Talking with students in
conflict. Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed.

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39. Resolving Conflict
Peacefully
Keeping the Peace:
Managing Students in
Conflict Using the Social
Problem- Solving Approach
To preview this book on
Amazon, visit my Author
Page (Books in Child
Guidance)