A beloved teacher is killed in a car crash. A student dies. An educator experiences a workplace assault or robbery. These and other traumatic events occur regularly in the life of a school system as large as ours.

Did you know there’s a place to turn for support — both at and away from your work site — when tragedy strikes?

It’s the Victim Support Program, co-sponsored by the UFT’s Safety and Health Department and the city Department of Education. The program is housed at union headquarters in Manhattan, but there is also a program liaison at each UFT borough office. All assistance is free and strictly confidential.

Each Victim Support Program liaison’s function is to help UFT members with forms and procedures, provide assistance in dealing with the criminal justice agencies and conduct violence prevention workshops. Other Victim Support Program staff accompany members who need medical assistance if they have been assaulted on the job.

The Victim Support Program’s trained mental health professionals, meanwhile, offer confidential counseling and crisis intervention. They work in conjunction with the UFT’s Member Assistance Program to provide appropriate referrals for longer-term counseling.

Aftermath of workplace incidents

If you have suffered a workplace assault or robbery, you may find yourself experiencing:

• Feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, fear, anger or depression.
• Confusion about procedures and forms to be filled out.
• Frustration due to the amount of paperwork involved in securing your medical benefits, claiming line-of-duty injury or dealing with law enforcement or other agencies.
• Apprehension about returning to work.

In these cases or following the sudden death of a student or colleague, don’t hesitate to call the Victim Support Program. Program liaisons can help you cope with the aftermath and will support you as you strive for recovery from a professionally and personally traumatic event.

Services include:

• Counseling by mental health professionals who are specially trained and experienced in working with people suffering from trauma related to a school incident.
• Visits to schools following a sudden loss or violent incident that affects the larger school community.
• Help with forms and procedures.
• Assistance in dealing with the NYPD and other criminal justice agencies.
• Accompanying victims to court or the DOE’s Medical Bureau.

Learning to spot the warning signs

Do you have the tools to avoid and defuse violent situations in school?

Through the Victim Support Program’s violence prevention training, educators learn ways to stay safe. They acquire psychological strategies and techniques for effectively handling school situations that have the potential to turn violent.

Trained facilitators conduct workshops in schools and UFT borough offices. They help participants:

• Understand the dynamics of violence, aggression, hostility and acting-out behaviors.
• Develop safe strategies for interactions with violence-prone individuals.
• Learn practical techniques for defusing potential violence and aggression.

If your school has suffered from a traumatic event or if you are interested in receiving training in violence prevention, contact the Victim Support Program at 212-598-6853.