Walden University’s and Tulane University’s School Psychology programs will collaborate with Lusher Charter School in New Orleans to establish a healing curriculum and support it with mental health services for coping with the trauma of Hurricane Katrina. The new K–12 charter school opened in January at the once-shuttered campuses on Willow St. and Carrollton Ave.

Tulane and Walden will work with Lusher administrators and teachers to develop a system of prevention and intervention services to meet the needs of students, parents and teachers as they navigate the emotional, behavioral and social issues that may arise. The cornerstone of the program will consist of a school-wide, teacher-implemented curriculum aimed at effectively dealing with stressors students may encounter as they transition back to their homes and communities. The need for a healing curriculum was identified early on by a school social worker who was active in the development of the curriculum. 

“During this transition, New Orleans students will face many challenges stemming from Hurricane Katrina, including personal loss, displacement, family separation and coping with changes in their school and social environments,” says Dr. Bonnie Nastasi, director of the School Psychology program at Walden University. Dr. Nastasi has been instrumental in developing and implementing the healing curriculum used at Lusher.

The curriculum will focus on enhancing coping skills, identifying and utilizing social support, enhancing emotional awareness and vocabulary and helping students create meaning and coherence from the trauma of the recent months.

The curriculum, which spans 12 weeks, is designed to incorporate a variety of subjects and teaching approaches and will have built-in teacher training, support and consultation. There are a total of 21 undergraduate students from Tulane, Loyola and Xavier universities serving as classroom assistants during the implementation of the healing curriculum. Additionally, working alongside the school’s two social workers, Walden and Tulane School Psychology faculty and doctoral students will provide ongoing support and direction.

“We are looking forward to working with the teachers and staff at Lusher to establish a truly collaborative approach to address the mental health needs of students during this difficult time,” says Dr. Stacy Overstreet, director of the School Psychology program at Tulane University.

Graduate students in the School Psychology program under the supervision of Overstreet will offer individual and group therapy services, and a referral process will be set up with the school’s social workers. Students presenting with post-traumatic stress symptoms will receive the highest priority for assessment and treatment. The program will also identify community service providers as needed to meet referral demands.

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