Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention in Colleges and Universities

Requesting This Course:

Course Description:

This 3-day course will use the content of ICISF’s Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention, aka GRIN.

The unique aspect of the course is that it will be geared specifically for interventionists who are part of colleges and universities. More specifically, members of the counseling center, staff from student affairs, campus safety, public relations, students, etc., will be potential participants. 

Aligned with the GRIN course, a comprehensive, systematic, and multi-component crisis intervention curriculum will be presented to assist individuals and groups. Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be covered and participants will leave the training with applied knowledge of the SAFE-R model of individual crisis intervention, and the group crisis interventions of crisis management briefings, defusings, and critical incident stress debriefings (CISD). Follow-up services and referrals when needed will be discussed. 

Learning Objectives:

  • In addition to describing the overall need for crisis intervention, this GRIN course will focus on the specific needs of colleges and universities (e.g., binge drinking, sexual assaults, illness, violence, suicide). In addition, concepts such as institutional preparedness, crisis response coordination and communication, including with students, parents, and community resources, will be discussed. Additionally, potential adverse effects of critical incidents on learning will be presented. Strategic planning utilizing the 5-Ts (target, type, timing, theme, and team) will also be covered.
  • A distinctive feature of this GRIN training will be the use of a single college-related scenario to develop and integrate the various applied CISM interventions. For example, a suspicious fire in a dorm room, in which a student dies, could be the precipitating event that requires individual and group interventions (i.e., individual intervention, defusing, CMB, and debriefing).
  • Another potentially unique feature of this GRIN training, depending on where it occurs (e.g., on a college campus), could be the use of volunteer students as participants in the role plays (particularly the defusing and debriefing). 


Certificates and Continuing Education:

General Contact Hours: 

Three-Day Course; 27 Contact Hours: 2.7 General CEUs from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Dept. of Emergency Health Services Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). Based on a formula of 1 Continuing Education Unit for every 10 contact/classroom hours.

ICISF Certificate of Completion:

After the completion of this ICISF course, with verified full attendance, participants are eligible to receive an electronic ICISF Certificate of Completion including General Continuing Education Units. Participants are required to complete a course evaluation prior to receiving this Certificate of Completion.

Completion of ICISF courses and receipt of an ICISF Certificate of Completion does not attest to competence in the field, nor does it provide certification in the field of CISM. 

Profession Specific CEUs:

If you are seeking continuing education requirements for a specific profession, contacting the relevant state licensing board is the best way to ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate information. They can provide you with specific details regarding whether a Certificate of Completion from a particular course or program will be accepted towards your continuing education requirements.

If the ICISF course you attend is offered through:

ICISF Virtual Training, Online Training, or Conference, it is approved for the following:

  • EAPA – Employee Assistance Professionals Association
    27 PDHs; Expiration Date – March 21, 2025
  • NAADAC – the Association for Addiction Professionals
    27 CE Credits; Expiration Date – February 28, 2025

This course has been approved by International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider # 87914, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

ICISF Speakers Bureau Program: It is up to the Sponsoring Agency to apply for profession-specific Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they choose to do so.

ICISF Approved-Instructor led Program: While our Approved Instructors have the authority to teach specific ICISF courses, it is their responsibility to apply for profession-specific Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they choose to do so.

** Please check with your state licensing board prior to registration to see if they will accept the Certificate of Completion as a means for continuing education.

*PLEASE NOTE: These hours are only applicable towards courses offered at Virtual Trainings, Conferences, Online Courses, and the World Congress.

Learn more on our ICISF Continuing Education Information page.