Posttraumatic Stress Management Team Update
On January 14 a Posttraumatic Stress Management Team (PTSM) was established on Nantucket by Dr. Robert Macy, the international expert in suicide and trauma recovery who is assisting Nantucket in the aftermath of incidents involving Nantucket High School students. The PTSM is comprised of 25 members, including town officials and school district representatives, as well as local and state mental health professionals.
Lead organizations for the PTSM are Nantucket Behavioral Health Services, Nantucket Public Schools, the Town of Nantucket and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Leadership roles have been assigned to representatives of these organizations, including incident commanders, deputy incident commanders, and public information officers.
Since being established in mid-January, the PTSM group has held six meetings. Between meeting dates, the group has also been working to define areas of responsibility and protocols for each of the PTSM leadership positions and how the activities of the positions interact with each other to operate most effectively in the event of an incident now or in the future.
In late January PTSM set up a screening process for interested Nantucketers to take part in a three-day Advanced Children’s Trauma Recovery Foundation Certificate course in school and community-based posttraumatic stress management. Thereafter, a group of 75 volunteers from various areas of the community participated in the training program during the weekend of January 31. Dr. Macy and members of his organization’s professional staff conducted the training, certifying the participants to serve as needed under the direction of local PTSM leaders should the need arise. PTSM leaders are currently working together to determine logistics of how the volunteers’ skills will be utilized.
In addition to the meetings and training, the PTSM is working on plans for a teen drop-in center to serve students in the school setting. School officials are researching similar drop-in centers, such as one in Barnstable, to serve as models for the one to be established on Nantucket and are also working to identify space within the school facilities to house the center. Additionally, a job description is being drawn up for a director of the drop-in center with a search for candidates to fill the position occurring once funding is in place.
The committee is also looking into other prevention programs to determine their feasibility and benefits for our school population here on Nantucket. The programs include SOS (Signs of Suicide), SAP (Student Assistance Program) and the Swensrud Prevention Initiative. Also under consideration are establishing a Canteen/Student Lounge as a wholesome location for high school students to “hang out” and a Preventative Health Program for grades Pre K-12 to support students in making smart, informed decisions about issues regarding risky behaviors, eating disorders and other challenges.
On March 18, Dr. Macy will be returning to Nantucket to meet with the PTSM executive committee to discuss next steps and strategies. For more information about the PTSM, the community is invited to visit the Nantucket Public Schools website and the Town of Nantucket website, where regular postings can be viewed. The websites are www.npsk.org and http://www.nantucket-ma.gov . The PSMT primary contacts for the community at Dr. Robert Pellicone, who can be reached at (508) 228-7280, extension 1163 and Nantucket Selectman Michael Kopko at (508) 228-3222.
Submitted by:
Dr. Robert Pellicone, NPS Public Information Officer
Michael Kopko, Town of Nantucket Public Information Officer
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