Disaster Media Intervention (DMI)

Helping Students Cope with Disaster Media Coverage –
A Guide for Teachers and School Staff

  • The Disaster Media Intervention (DMI) is designed to help students cope with disaster media coverage.

    Disasters covered in the media include natural disasters like storms or earthquakes, or human-caused disasters such as industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, or mass shootings.

    DMI equips teachers, counselors, social workers, administrators, and other school staff to facilitate conversations with students about these media-covered disasters, whether they occur locally or far away.

    DMI’s three primary goals include

    • Encourage Dialogue: Encourage students to talk about their feelings and concerns with a trusted adult.
    • Establish a Sense of Safety: Promote and enhance student safety, and provide emotional comfort and support.
    • Develop Coping Skills: Help students identify and learn coping skills.
  • DMI manual

    Click HERE to download the manual.

  • Helping Youth Cope with Media Coverage of a Disaster: A Fact Sheet for Parents

  • This fact sheet provides an overview of how media coverage of a disaster may affect youth and suggests strategies that parents can use to address these effects.

    Download the disaster media fact sheet for parents HERE in English and HERE in Spanish.

    View the disaster media video for parents HERE.


  • Helping Youth Cope with Media Coverage of Disaster: A Fact Sheet for Teachers

  • This fact sheet provides an overview of how media coverage of a disaster may affect students and suggests strategies that teachers can use to help students cope with disaster media coverage.

    Download the disaster media fact sheet for teachers HERE in English and HERE in Spanish.

    View the disaster media video for school staff HERE.


  • Watch a Brief Overview of the Disaster and Media Intevention (DMI)

  • View the brief overview of the Disaster and Media Intevention (DMI) HERE.