Current Courses
*Register Now* The GRIN: 3-Day Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention - Belleville, ON, April 14-15-16, 2025
3-Day (27 contact hours) Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention (The GRIN)
Course Description:
This 3-day course combines ALL of the content of ICISF’s Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention courses. Two certificates are awarded following 27 contact hours with the instructor. Full attendance is required to earn both certificates. Partial completion of the training does not earn a single certificate.
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” or “Psychological first aid” (PFA).
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; Crisis Management Briefing, RITS, 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:
- Understanding psychological crises and intervention strategies
- The journey from resistance to resilience and recovery
- Techniques for managing stress from critical incidents
- The role of evidence-based practices in effective intervention
- Fundamental crisis communication strategies
- Typical psychological and behavioral responses to crisis situations
- The SAFER-Revised model for Psychological First Aid
- Essentials of suicide intervention
- Awareness of the risks associated with inadvertent harm
- Informational group crisis interventions
- Interactive group crisis interventions
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)
*Register Now* Assisting Individuals in Crisis: Toronto, Ontario, April 30 - May 1, 2025, IN PERSON TRAINING
We recommend this as your first course in CISM.
During this comprehensive 13-hour course, available both online and in-person, participants will be immersed in the fundamental techniques and underlying principles essential for assisting individuals who have encountered traumatic situations. The curriculum covers not just the techniques for assistance but also explores the theories that make these techniques effective.
The course introduces the SAFER-Revised model of crisis intervention, a versatile framework applicable across both professional and personal spheres. Upon completion, attendees will gain insight into their inherent capacity for crisis intervention, honed through life experiences.
This training will enhance your existing skills with a structured approach, enabling you to more effectively support colleagues and others as they navigate through adverse life events.
Key Topics Covered:
- The nature of psychological crises and the fundamentals of crisis intervention
- The continuum of resistance, resilience, and recovery
- Strategies for managing critical incident stress
- The importance of evidence-based practices in intervention
- Core techniques for effective crisis communication
- Common psychological and behavioral responses to crises
- The SAFER-Revised framework for Psychological First Aid
- Essentials of suicide intervention
- Understanding and mitigating the risks of iatrogenic harm
Completion of Assisting Individuals in Crisis counts towards the ICISF Certificate of Specialized Training Program.
Participants are encouraged to verify the eligibility of this training for Continuing Education (CE) credits with their respective professional associations.
*Register Now* The Secrets of Psychological Body Armor ™ Castlegar, BC, IN-PERSON TRAINING, May 3, 2025.
The Secrets of Psychological Body Armor ™ – Lessons from Neuroscience that can save your career, your marriage, & your life.
The Secrets of Psychological Body Armor ™ – Lessons from Neuroscience that can save your career, your marriage, & your life.
Course Description
This course is designed to aid you in building a personal culture of resilience and holistic health. Our unique approach is intended to help you learn to better manage the stress in your life in order to increase your potential for happiness, success, and even create a competitive advantage through the creation of what we call Psychological Body Armor ™.
There is no “quick fix” in this program. It is not designed to be a “pop psych” feel-good course. Rather, this course contains facts and specific suggestions for actions you can take to enhance your personal resilience, all based upon the latest and most credible science.
View a short video about the development of this course on the ICISF website here.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Describe the nature of Psychological Body Armor ™ (PBA)
- Recognize resilient attitudes
- Use physical exercise to strengthen PBA
- Use nutrition to fuel PBA
- Use rest to recharge and restore PBA
- Use interpersonal support
- Understand how spirituality relates to PBA
- Develop a fully personalized PBA plan
The training will be facilitated by: Steve Horner
Click here to register.
*Register Now* ONLINE TRAINING May 26-27, 2025. Assisting Individuals in Crisis - 9am - 5pm EST
Course Description:
We recommend this as your first course in CISM.
During this comprehensive 13-hour course, available both online and in-person, participants will be immersed in the fundamental techniques and underlying principles essential for assisting individuals who have encountered traumatic situations. The curriculum covers not just the techniques for assistance but also explores the theories that make these techniques effective.
The course introduces the SAFER-Revised model of crisis intervention, a versatile framework applicable across both professional and personal spheres. Upon completion, attendees will gain insight into their inherent capacity for crisis intervention, honed through life experiences.
This training will enhance your existing skills with a structured approach, enabling you to more effectively support colleagues and others as they navigate through adverse life events.
Key Topics Covered:
- The nature of psychological crises and the fundamentals of crisis intervention
- The continuum of resistance, resilience, and recovery
- Strategies for managing critical incident stress
- The importance of evidence-based practices in intervention
- Core techniques for effective crisis communication
- Common psychological and behavioral responses to crises
- The SAFER-Revised framework for Psychological First Aid
- Essentials of suicide intervention
- Understanding and mitigating the risks of iatrogenic harm
Completion of Assisting Individuals in Crisis counts towards the ICISF Certificate of Specialized Training Program.
Participants are encouraged to verify the eligibility of this training for Continuing Education (CE) credits with their respective professional associations.
*Register Now* 2-day Group Crisis Intervention: Toronto, Ontario, IN PERSON TRAINING, May 28-29, 2025
Course hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm.
This course is recommended as the second course in the ICISF model of Critical Incident Stress Management.
Over the course of 14 hours together either online or in-person, we will help you understand how an unpleasant event may affect a group of people, and how you can help them. This course builds on the Assisting Individuals in Crisis training and expands the application of the ICISF Model of Crisis Intervention.
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
Interactive group crisis interventions
Informational 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.
This training may be eligible for CE credit. Check with your own professional association to confirm.
If you have any questions about any of the training, please ask via the contact form.
We look forward to meeting you on one of our courses.