Debriefing training for schools

A stress-mitigation technique that supports the mental health of today's educators

MISSOULA, Mont. - July 1, 2024 - PRLog -- During the 2021–22 school year, 857,500 violent incidents were recorded by U.S. public schools. A whopping 67% of schools reported having at least one violent incident (U.S. Department of Education, 2024).

Caught in the crosshairs of extreme political polarization around managing student behavior and parent relations coupled with gender pronouns, pandemic mandates and racial issues, today's teachers face unprecedented work-related stress, and research shows that the number one emotion U.S. teachers are now struggling with is anxiety. According to one study, educators are experiencing greater anxiety, stress, and burnout than ever before (Yale School of Medicine, 2020).

Another study showed that a much higher proportion of teachers reported frequent job-related stress and symptoms of depression than the general adult population (RAND, 2021).

Teachers are taught strategies for de-escalating student behavior in the classroom. But what strategies are they taught to de-escalate their own stress?

Once used for first responders, training teachers to facilitate in-school debriefings with colleagues is an effective tool for releasing emotional steam.

Debriefing is a critical incident stress management technique designed to assist staff who are coping with an upsetting event in the workplace. An organized, confidential discussion, debriefing aims to mitigate work-related stress through a 6-stage guided group discussion.

Now used around the world, debriefing reduces the impact of an upsetting event and serves as a forum for stress education for a better work-life balance.

Studies show that regardless of the profession, staff who undergo debriefing in the workplace within a 72-hour period of an upsetting event experience less short- and long-term psychological trauma (Mitchell, 1988; Young, 1994).

When staff are trained to facilitate a debriefing, they learn:

• How to facilitate in-house debriefing sessions
• How emotional stress affects critical thinking, cognition, problem-solving, and memory
• How to foster normal recovery following an emotionally stressful event
• How to provide evidence-based stress mitigation strategies