First Responder Relationships/Family/Parenting

First Responder Relationships/Family/Parenting

If your loved one has been involved in an emotion-charged event, it’s often referred to as a critical incident. S\he may be experiencing stress responses to this event. Stress response to a traumatic or critical incident may occur at any time during their professional career, and no one is immune regardless of past experiences or years of service.

Important things to remember about critical incident stress (CIS):

  • The signs of critical incident stress are physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral and spiritual. Your loved one has received a handout outlining these signs. Please ask them to share it with you.
  • Critical incident stress responses can occur right at the scene, within hours, or within days, even within weeks.
  • Your loved one may experience an immediate stress or grief response, or a variety of stress response signs and\or symptoms or may not feel any of these reactions at this time.
  • The effects of critical incident stress are completely normal. They are a normal response to a highly abnormal event. Your loved one and the other emergency personnel who shared the event may or may not be experiencing similar reactions.
  • All phases of our lives overlap and influence each other: i.e., personal, professional, family, etc. The impact of critical incident stress can be intensified, influenced or mitigated by all of these.

The ICISF offers a variety of Education & Training programs and resources.  We’ve included some of them below for you to view and learn more.

Managing School Crises: From Theory to Application 

Designed to prepare school administrators and all educators for the inevitable crises that occur within schools and/or that effect those in schools, this training reflects the 3 most common phases of a crisis: pre-crisis planning, acute crisis response and post-crisis activities. Special attention is given to the most common pitfalls (those that pose the most threat to school personnel from a liability standpoint) associated with crisis response activities.Participants of this training are introduced to the CISM framework and specific intervention techniques that can easily be applied within the school setting. These intervention techniques are research-informed and widely recognized for their effectiveness. Participants will be given opportunities to explore the elements of effective crisis management through multiple group activities.

Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention
This 3-day course combines ALL of the content of ICISF’s Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention courses.

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”. Designed to present the core elements of a comprehensive, systematic and multi-component crisis intervention curriculum, this course will prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services for both the individual and for groups. 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.

Mindful Decontamination: Self-Regulating Techniques for First Responders 

If first responders are expected to physically decontaminate when exposed to a dangerous substance, then our industry should also offer effective tools to mentally decontaminate. The mind/body connection is undeniable. Do you want to learn the importance of mental fitness? Providing effective self-regulating tools for first responder mental fitness is essential to a high-functioning organization.

ICISF Resources – Be sure to check out our other resources located in our online Crisis Resource Library.

The Resilient Child

Seven Essential Lessons and Practical Tips for Building Happiness, Success, and Social Intelligence

By: George S. Everly, Jr., PhD, ABPP, CCISM

“How many children suffer because they were never taught to handle the stress of competition, bullying, and the pressure to fit in? Stress, depression, and anxiety are epidemic amongst children today. More than any other life skill, resilience may be the most important and yet most frequently overlooked skill for children and teenagers to learn. This book is a practical guide to teaching them how to thrive in times of challenge, adversity, and even failure.” 

Get Your Book Today: https://cismbookstore.com/catalog/book/resilient-child