Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention
Join the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) for a 27-hour training over a period of three consecutive days, presenting on “Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention”.
All training materials and certificates will be included in this training at no cost for members of the first responder community and those who serve first responders in a critical incident and/or peer support capacity. Please see further training details on this webpage and complete the application below to be considered for a seat in the class. Space is limited. We will do our best to accommodate as many applicants as possible.
MULTI-DAY TRAINING | JUNE 23-25
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
MOUNT VERNON FIRE DEPARTMENT
REGISTRATION OPENING MARCH 15
Applications submitted by April 25 will be reviewed the following week. Any further applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and approved upon availability. Due to the high demand of this course, admission to participate may be limited to 1-2 member per agency.
ABOUT THE TRAINER
Peter Volkmann, MSW, CCISM graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Mercy College and received his Masters in Social Work from Fordham University. Peter is a faculty member for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) in Ellicott City, MD in which he received the 2017 recipient of the ICISF Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) internationally. Because of his vast experience in the different rescue fields and the social work profession, Peter is utilized as a crisis interventionist and trainer for rescue departments, government municipalities, schools, and corporate organizations around the United States who have experienced traumatic events. He assisted in the development of the Uniform Service Program for PTSD at Brattleboro Retreat in Vermont. Peter has been featured as an expert on stress for Dateline (NBC), Discovery Channel, MSNBC, and Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN). He is featured on the documentary “Uprooting Addictions” and featured in “Rethinking How We Police Addiction”. Peter developed “Law Enforcement Perspectives Course for CISM Enhancement” and “Human Spirit and Faith Tactics in CISM” which are an approved courses of ICISF. He has trained and assisted the startup of numerous critical incident response teams throughout the United States. Peter developed through the University of Albany School of Public Health “ASAP-Active Shooter Action Program” designed for schools, businesses, and communities. He has also written a children’s book “The Story of Luvee Bunny” to inspire hope in recovery from mental illness and substance use disorder.
Peter has moved forward from so many of his life’s challenges and tribulations with the same integrity and dedication to service that have defined his more than thirty-year career. He continues his practice as a Critical Incident Stress Management instructor and lecturer and continues his groundbreaking work in developing addiction recovery programs. Peter has been blessed throughout his life with the ongoing support and belief expressed by who have known Peter for decades and deeply respect his work as a pioneer in crisis intervention and addiction recovery (Peter himself has been in recovery for the past 25 years).
Now, applying his decades of professional knowledge and experience, and integrating his additional experience in overcoming those challenges and difficulties he faced over his lifetime, Peter has developed seminars that focus on foundational faith and spiritual strengths that create a powerful, working blueprint for recovery from deep life crises. The seminars are based on Peter’s concept, “Land of Never” (“this will never happen to me”) and offer focused guidance and specific techniques for overcoming the most difficult passages of life. Specifically, the “Land of Never” defines and applies to the kind of life crisis that has the potential to forever cripple the human spirit, both emotionally and spiritually. Peter’s “Human Spirit and Faith Tactics” seminars meet the needs of both professionals and lay people.
FUTURE TRAINING DATES
October 8-10: Streamwood
Applications will open July 15th
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course will achieve the following learning objectives:
- To increase awareness of key terms and concepts relevant to the practice of crisis intervention and disaster mental health intervention.
- To become familiar with relevant research findings.
- To become familiar with relevant recommendations for practice.
- To understand the nature and importance of incident assessment and strategic intervention planning.
- To understand the nature of the “resistance, resilience, recovery” continuum and the role of the integrated multi-component Critical Incident Stress Management System (CISM).
- To become familiar with large group crisis interventions, demobilizations and crisis management briefings (CMB).
- To become familiar with small group crisis interventions, defusings, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) and Small Group Crisis Management briefing (CMB).
- To become familiar with risks of adverse outcome associated with crisis intervention and how to reduce those risks.
- To practice large and small group crisis intervention and how to reduce those risks.
- To practice specifically the small group Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD).
- Understand the natures & definitions of a psychological crisis and psychological crisis intervention.
- Discuss issues and findings of evidence-based practice as it relates to psychological crisis intervention.
- Practice basic crisis communication techniques.
- Be familiar with common psychological and behavioral crisis reactions, including empirically-derived predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Understand the putative and empirically-derived mechanisms of action in psychological crisis intervention.
- Practice the SAFER-Revised model of individual psychological crisis intervention.
- Understand how the SAFER-Revised model may be altered for suicide intervention.
- Understand and discuss the risks of iatrogenic “harm” associated with psychological crisis intervention and will further discuss how to reduce those risks.