The Crisis Challenge America's children today face an unprecedented risk of experiencing or being affected by a traumatic crisis event in or around their school. Not just school violence, but natural disasters, serious accidents, even terrorism can shatter the everyday activities of normal school life. Consequently, crisis intervention has become an important responsibility for educators, public safety officials, community leaders and parents.
School psychologists have specialized training in both psychology and education.
While every school ideally should have the internal capacity to provide appropriate, effective intervention in a crisis, some traumatic events require outside assistance from professionals with specific expertise in crisis intervention. NEAT is comprised of seven nationally certified school psychologists who have had formal training in and direct crisis experience involving manmade and natural disasters. NEAT's role varies according to the needs of each situation, but team members provide services ranging from advice over the phone to joining a crisis management team at the scene when invited. Promote crisis management preparation and planning. Expand the network of professionals able to lend support to their schools and communities during a crisis event.