VALEAP is pleased to host/sponsor International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) Critical Incident Stress Management Training, also known as peer training. The 4-day training includes two ICISF courses – the Basic Group Crisis Intervention course and the Assisting Individuals in Crisis course, and often includes the US Bureau of Justice Assistance course In Harm’s Way: Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention. Class is typically held from 0800 -1700 hours with a one hour lunch from 1200-1300 hours. These courses serve as the training foundation for many agencies with Law Enforcement Peer Support programs and meet the minimum requirements for Peer and CISM team accreditation by the Virginia Department of Health. This is also requisite training for peers involved with the Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program’s CISM Team, and is designed for emergency responders in all disciplines. Mental health clinicians with prior experience working with law enforcement are encouraged to attend.
***Students must attend all 3 days of the ICISF training in order to receive credit for the course.
The typical ICISF registration fee for this course is $525.00, but we are glad to be able to bring it to you at no cost. Virginia law enforcement officers, dispatchers and members of Virginia police CISM/peer teams may attend this training at no cost.
Registration is capped at 50 participants.
Questions concerning Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program or training content may be directed to Adam Blevins at adamblevins.valeap@gmail.com or (540) 817-9736.
ICISF Assisting Individuals in Crisis
Course Description:
Crisis Intervention is NOT psychotherapy; rather, it is a specialized acute emergency mental health intervention which requires specialized training. As physical first aid is to surgery, crisis intervention is to psychotherapy. Thus, crisis intervention is sometimes called “emotional first aid”. This program is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention. This course is designed for anyone who desires to increase their knowledge of individual (one-on-one) crisis intervention techniques in the fields of Business & Industry, Crisis Intervention, Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee Assistance, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and Traumatic Stress.
Program Highlights:
- Psychological crisis and psychological crisis intervention
- Resistance, resiliency, recovery continuum
- Critical incident stress management
- Evidence-based practice
- Basic crisis communication techniques
- Common psychological and behavioral crisis reactions
- Putative and empirically-derived mechanisms
- SAFER-Revised model
- Suicide intervention
- Risks of iatrogenic “harm”
Continuing Education Information:
Completion of “Assisting Individuals in Crisis” and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (13 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program.
ICISF Group Crisis Intervention
Course Description:
Designed to present the core elements of a comprehensive, systematic and multi-component crisis intervention curriculum, the Group Crisis Intervention course will prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services. Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be outlined and participants will leave with the knowledge and tools to provide several group crisis interventions, specifically demobilizations, defusings and the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). The need for appropriate follow-up services and referrals when necessary will also be discussed.
This course is designed for anyone in the fields of Business & Industry Crisis Intervention, Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee Assistance, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and Traumatic Stress.
Program Highlights:
- Relevant research findings
- Relevant recommendations for practice
- Incident assessment
- Strategic intervention planning
- “Resistance, resilience, recovery” continuum
- Large group crisis interventions
- Small group crisis interventions
- Adverse outcome associated with crisis intervention
- Reducing risks
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)
Completion of “Group Crisis Intervention” and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (14 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program.
Continuing Education Information:
Combined Three-Day Course: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
BJA In Harm’s Way: Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention
Course Description:
This training provides resources and education on law enforcement suicide prevention. The attendees will return to their agencies with a better understanding of suicide and how to assist those at risk. The course is based upon a course provided by the Bureau of Justice Assistance in cooperation with St. Petersburg College and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as amended by the instructors.
Resources:
In Harm’s Way: Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention
US BJA
St. Petersburg College
ICISF
Instructors:
First Sergeant Kenneth H. Blank; Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program
Virginia State Police
Adam Blevins, CCISM, Operations Director; Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program
Erik Mollin, CCISM, Peer Support Specialist; Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program