Building Skills for Crisis Intervention Teams

After learning the CISM techniques it is important to get the experience in using and maintaining the skills necessary to do quality interventions. This program has been designed to provide participants with direct application and practice of skills of crisis intervention techniques. The program emphasizes a broadening of the knowledge base concerning critical incident stress management interventions as well as the practice of each application. Participants will learn some training techniques and activities that they might use to assist their teams in additional skill building.

This program has been developed for Employee Assistance Programs, human resources staff, public safety personnel, mental health professionals, chaplains, paramedics, firefighters, physicians, police officers, nurses, dispatchers, airline personnel and disaster workers to increase mastery and confidence in the skills learned during the CISM core courses.

Program Highlights:

• Skills in organizing appropriate CISM responses
• Conducting Crisis Management Briefings
• Participate as a Team member and a “participant” of an event
• Appropriate CISM activities for a variety of incidents
• Range of CISM techniques within the CISM process
• Understanding of CISM principles for each activity
• “Teaching” phases in each type of CISM experience
• Defusing steps and purposes
• Alternative techniques to accomplish the goals of CISM
• One on one skills using CISM process

Successful completion of the Approved Instructor Candidate Program will allow you to teach this curriculum to others. Continuing education will be required to maintain your instructor status.

Prerequisites for Participation in the Approved Instructor Candidate Program:

• Completion of the following ICISF courses as taught by ICISF or by an approved ICISF instructor. (Copies of certificates of completion are required to accompany the application).
  • Group Crisis Intervention
  • Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support
  • Advanced Group Crisis Intervention
• ICISF Approved Instructor in good standing for:
  • Group Crisis Intervention
  • Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support
• A minimum of five years critical incident / traumatic stress experience.
• A letter of recommendation from a local, state or regional CISM team or agency / institution dated within three months of application due date.*
• A letter of endorsement from a local, state, or regional CISM coordinator or clinical director dated within three months of application due date.*

  *At least one of the letters of recommendation must attest to the instructor candidate's teaching ability. If neither of the aforementioned letters can do so, a third letter must be submitted.

• Active membership on a crisis intervention team.
• Current ICISF membership.
• A copy of a current CV or resume.
• Official course application form.
• A brief statement outlining:
  1. Your crisis intervention/CISM experience.
  2. Your instructional experience.
  3. Reasons for applying for ICISF Approved Instructor Training.
• Please note the Building Skills for Crisis Intervention Teams course is NOT a prerequisite for this Approved Instructor Candidate Program.

Last updated: December 2008