Preparation, Action, Recovery: A Conceptual Framework for Counselor Preparation and Response in Client Crises

Abstract

Despite increasing requirements for counselor proficiency in crisis response, there is an absence in the standards for counselor preparation, certification, and supervision of consistent criteria on which best practice in crisis prevention and intervention, and postcrisis recovery can be gauged. The authors present a conceptual framework that defines the actions required at the different phases of a client crisis and identifies potential constraints to effective counselor action that must be acknowledged and overcome at each phase.

Perceptions of School Counselors Surviving a School Shooting

“…The central question of the study focused on the perceptions of school counselors' decisions and expertise. The PAR conceptual framework designed by McAdams and Keener (2008) influenced the criteria used in interpreting the data. The PAR framework's purpose is to guide counselors through a crisis situation such as a suicide; however, it is not specific to school counselors or school shootings.…”

“…Interview questions were formatted on the basis of a theoretical concept for the study suggesting that counselors who effectively respond to crisis situations respond in phases or along a time line (see Table 2; McAdams & Keener, 2008). The interviews were carried out as guided conversations, giving interviewees flexibility to tell their stories.…”

“…Another research-informed model is the preparation, action, recovery (PAR) conceptual framework developed by McAdams and Keener (2008). These authors combined phase progression, coordination of mental health interventions, and structured support to create a conceptual framework for crisis survivors in general.…”

School Counselors’ Response to School Shootings: Framework of Recommendations

“…These entities promote a comprehensive theoretical approach that suggests that crises unfold sequentially and therefore include planning for before, during, and after violent crises. McAdams and Keener (2008) argued that this idea of "sequential progression toward crisis" can be used to work with clients suffering mental health crisis as the result of violence and termed the theory "phase progression in Brown, 2020 Journal of Educational Research and Practice 277 mental health crisis" (p. 389). The authors further explained that, by conceptualizing crises in phases, counselors may better prepare and coordinate specific interventions and "structured support for survivors.…”

The Role of Leadership in Surviving a School Shooting

“…It also helps school leaders to generate ideas of how to respond. Research indicates that crisis situations do not happen in a singular instant but in phases (Brock et al, 2009; Brown, 2015; McAdams & Keener, 2008; U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, 2013).…”