Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) helps schools to:
- Create a trauma-sensitive environment where students and adults are safe and feel safe
- Proactively prevent and/or de-escalate potential crisis situations with students
- Manage a crisis situation in a therapeutic manner, and, if necessary, intervene physically in a manner that reduces the risk of harm to students and staff
- Process the crisis event with students to help improve their coping strategies
- Effectively deliver in-house TCIS training.
Program objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Pro-actively prevent and/or de-escalate potential crisis situations with students
- Manage a crisis situation in a therapeutic manner and, if necessary, intervene physically in a manner that reduces the risk of harm to students and staff
- Process the crisis event with students to help improve their coping strategies
- Effectively deliver TCIS training in their schools.
What does the TCIS look like?
This intensive five-day TCIS train-the-trainer competency-based certification course provides school districts the opportunity to develop an in-house training capacity in the TCIS curriculum. Participants will develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the TCIS curriculum necessary to deliver the training to staff in their schools. Participants will have the chance to participate, practice, and receive feedback in conducting activities to gain immediate training experience. Training techniques such as role plays, small group discussions, guided fantasies, conducting practice sessions, and using audiovisual aids will be demonstrated. The curriculum is evidence informed and trauma sensitive. Participants will receive all the necessary materials to conduct the TCIS training program in their school district.
Day 1
Crisis as Opportunity. The TCIS system is presented, including the definition of crisis, ways that adults can prevent a crisis situation in the classroom milieu, and helping students feel safe by creating a culture of non-violence. Participants are taught how to assess a situation, identify setting conditions in a classroom, the importance of good classroom instruction, the effects of trauma, and the importance of emotional competence in preventing crisis, and how to maintain self-control in preventing or handling a crisis through awareness of personal feelings and values.
Day 2
Triggering and Escalation. The importance of knowing the student and awareness of the environment in a crisis situation are discussed. Verbal and nonverbal techniques for crisis prevention and de-escalation, behaviors support techniques, emotional first aid, how to avoid power struggles, and use of protective interventions are presented and practiced.
Day 3
Escalation, Outburst and Recovery. Managing aggressive behaviour, elements of a potentially violent situation are discussed. Strategies for co-regulating with a student when at the height of crisis outburst will be taught and practiced as well as the Life Space Interviewing following a crisis event. The rationale for safety interventions is explained and situations when restraint should and should not be used are discussed. The use of various physical intervention techniques and safety concerns are discussed, presented, and practiced.
Day 4
Outburst, Recovery and Implementing the TCIS System. Participants practice of Life Space Interviewing skills, crisis co-regulation skills, and the various physical intervention skills. Individual Crisis Support Plans (ICSPs) are presented and practiced. Safety concerns and documentation issues are discussed. The elements of the TCIS system are reviewed and the implementation of the TCIS system in school districts and/or schools is discussed and recommended action plans are developed for the individual school districts and/or schools.
Day 5
Certification Evaluation and Testing. Crisis co-regulation and Life Space Interviewing are practiced. All participants are tested for TCIS Associate Certification status with a written knowledge test and a Life Space Interview evaluation and physical intervention skills behavioural skills evaluation.