Toolkit with Report Form - Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic ...

Staff, Volunteers, BOD and
other Residents/Clients Reactions
Staff, volunteers, BOD and other residents
may also react to sudden loss with shock,
denial, anger, despair, detachment and
grief. They may also express thoughts
or feelings of guilt or self-blame: “If I
had only…” “It should have been me…”
“I was supposed to be there…” “I was
supposed to…” Staff may feel that they
didn’t do enough to “make” her safe, or
they should have “seen” something that
wasn’t there.
Hostage, Intruder
and Evacuation Situations
Refer to the PCADV Program Standards and
your policies and procedures for situations
of hostage taking, intruders on the premises
and evacuation situations.
Implement your Critical Incident Response
Plan regarding reporting to PCADV for Tier
One and Tier Two incidents, handling media
inquiries and responding to the impact of
crisis on staff and clients.
Section five
Staff may need time and resources to move
through this traumatic response into an
emotionally healthy grieving place.
Possible resources include:
• KCIT or your local crisis response
team for immediate assistance
• Referral to trained counseling
professionals with experience in
sudden loss and trauma issues for
longer term counseling
• VCAP may assist with the costs of
counseling
• An Employee Assistance Program
may help cover counseling costs
resulting from a work-related incident
• Additional resources can be
secured from professionals in
your area. A resource library of
appropriate readings may be helpful
to staff, volunteers and clients.
When Crisis Strikes | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 2012 page 35