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

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. (Contains 1 table.)