To develop, implement and maintain a community and school-based consortium of culturally sensitive and clinically appropriate training, support, and resource services to assist schools in responding to the emotional needs of children, teachers, and other school personnel, which arise from trauma, violence, illness, grief and loss.

Program Overview:

As a countywide, multi-agency effort, it is the goal of TIG to prepare school districts to have appropriate mental health support in place when they must respond to events involving trauma, violence, illness and death. During times of a district- or school-wide crisis, school districts can deploy responders from both within and outside of the school in a coordinated and systematic manner thus maximizing their response. Moreover, one of the outcomes of the consortium model has been that TIG teams and community agencies have formed ongoing working associations. In keeping the size of TIG teams small, members have come to know one another and, in the event of a district-wide emergency, a school district can be assured that TIG teams helping from other districts are familiar with their own team and trained in similar models of crisis intervention and assistance.

School personnel are considered the front-line interventionists for the children within their schools. The district TIG team consists of mental health staff and other health staff (i.e., school social worker, school psychologist, school nurse). The size of the team varies dependent on the district enrollment. Current TIG teams range in size from four to nine staff members. While the TIG team may also be members of their school or district crisis team, it is not the intent of this project to usurp or supplant existing school crisis teams. The opportunities provided by the TIG Consortium are meant to enhance existing teams through the intensive training and support around the content of trauma, illness, grief and loss responses and interventions. District superintendents may designate an existing crisis team to become the district's TIG Team or assemble a separate team consisting of school clinical staff. Each district's TIG Team joins with the TIG Teams from other districts to form the core recipients for the intensive training and continuing support offered by and through the TIG Program Manager and Community Partners.

The TIG consortium model utilizes a "trickle-down" training process whereby key personnel trained as part of a TIG Team are then responsible for the further training of other staff and teachers within their own district (see diagram of training model on page 4). In addition to their training function, TIG Teams can also serve as linkages between school personnel seeking assistance and the other resources of the Consortium. TIG Teams have access to:

• The TIG seven-module core training curriculum and training manual. In addition, advanced trainings are offered on supplemental topic areas.
• Ongoing consultation with TIG Program Manager to facilitate implementation of TIG within the school district.
• A TIG website (www.tigconsortium.org) containing materials on various relevant topics which can be downloaded for teachers, other school staff, and families. In addition, team members have access to password protected TIG training materials.
• A community based TIG resource library of research articles, school curricula and training materials, psychosocial intervention resources, and information for parents and youth.
• Backup agreement and support from other TIG Teams or any of the TIG Community Partners in the event of catastrophic/system-wide crisis.

Program Philosophy:

Children are affected more than we might assume by major and minor losses. Traumatic events and serious illnesses or deaths of family members and friends as well as members of their school family can have a profound impact on these young lives. Even tragic community events, not directly experienced by a child, can leave an indelible mark.

In recent years, Rochester community educators have had to help children cope with numerous well-publicized events: the sexual assault of a child; the murder of an adolescent; the murder-suicide of a father and mother; and the suicide or other sudden death of a teacher, principal, or student-- and these are only the "headline events." More quietly, in classrooms across our area, teachers and other school personnel are trying to help children cope with the daily, unpublicized tragedies that affect our classrooms, the serious illness or death of a classmate, parent or other family member, teacher, pet or, perhaps, the serious illness of students themselves.

Somewhere between math and reading, children often turn to trusted teachers for support and help to understand sad events in their lives. School is a primary resource for children offering continuity, safety, information, and support for their growth and success. To some, it is truly their second family. School personnel, especially teachers, are often a front-line resource for children experiencing trauma, illness, death and loss -- both at times of immediate crisis and in subsequent years, as children continue to adapt and mature.

We know that after events related to trauma and loss, the ensuing emotional reactions of children can have a significant impact on their learning and classroom behavior, as well as on their relationships and interactions with classmates, teachers and often the larger school community. Even normal reactions, such as grieving after a death, can become problematic if not understood and responded to with cultural sensitivity and developmental appropriateness. We also know that adjustment following major trauma and loss is an ongoing process that requires support over a period of several years, as the child's developmental needs evolve, anniversary dates occur, and new loss events cause trauma and grief reactions to resurface or even trigger the re-experiencing of the initial trauma itself.