Table.

TeamSTEPPS Curriculum

Module	Rationale	Key Skills/Goals	Example from training
Introduction	Provide an overview of the TeamSTEPPS model and review the research on team training and TeamSTEPPS	Participants learn the rationale for TeamSTEPPS and why it was selected as the team training model for school mental health	Trainer discusses how the actions of the team impact clinical care and how when teams fail to work well together, children and families experience confusion, miscommunications, and uncoordinated care. Engaging in teamwork using proper strategies and skills can reduce mistakes and improve quality of care.
Leadership	Provide information on characteristics of effective leaders and practice optimal leadership strategies	Participants learn about and practice three strategies for assembling the team and facilitating team events: 1. Briefs (planning) 2. Huddles (problem solving) 3. Debriefs (process improvement)	Trainer sets the stage by explaining that Briefs are held for planning purposes; huddles are used for problem solving; and debriefs are for reflection and process improvement. Each is explored in greater detail. The team leader typically facilitates these types of team events but any team member can request a brief, huddle, or debrief at any time, which is an example of shared leadership.
Situation Monitoring	Situation monitoring, the process of actively scanning behaviors and actions to assess elements of the situation or environment, fosters mutual respect and team accountability. It is a skill that can be acquired, practiced, and strengthened.	Participants learn about and practice cross monitoring. This allows one to recognize risk or unfolding error and to interrupt or correct an action or event before the child’s care is impacted.	The trainer explains that monitoring enables team members to identify potential issues or challenges early enough so that they can correct and address them before they become a problem to the child. Examples of situation monitoring in school mental health include assessing the child’s mental status, noting problems in the environment, and being aware of workload spikes and stress levels among team members.
Mutual Support	Mutual support is the key principle of teamwork. It includes anticipating the needs of other team members through knowledge of their roles and protects team members from work overload.	Participants learn the importance of assisting team members in their tasks, strategies for providing effective feedback to one another, how to effectively advocate for children to team members, and conflict resolution strategies.	The trainer teaches that effective feedback includes the following—it is… Timely—Feedback is most effective when the behavior being discussed is fresh in the mind of the receiver. Respectful—Feedback should not be personal, it should be about behavior. Specific—Feedback should be related to a specific situation or task. Directed—Goals should be set for improvement Considerate—Be considerate of team members’ feelings when delivering feedback.
Communication	Communication is a process of clear and accurate information sharing. There is a large body of research supporting the efficacy of strong communication skills for effective teamwork.	Participants learn specific communication strategies for framing conversations using the SBAR approach, for transitioning care of a child to a team member, and the importance of employing closed-loop communication strategies.	The trainer teaches and participants practice the SBAR method, which stands for situation, background, assessment, recommendation. It is an easy-to-remember tool for framing conversations, especially critical ones requiring a clinician’s action or attention. SBAR can be used to standardize communication which is helpful in developing teamwork.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2007). TeamSTEPPS instructor guide. Rockville, MD: USUHS Publication

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2017). TeamSTEPPS: National Implementation. Retrieved from http://teamstepps.ahrq.gov/