Advanced CISM Course Description

The Advanced CISM training program has been designed to provide participants with the latest information on critical incident stress management techniques and post trauma syndromes. The program emphasizes a broadening of the knowledge base concerning critical incident stress interventions as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which was established in the Basic program. Special emphasis will be placed upon troubleshooting difficult and complex situations. The emphasis will be on advanced defusings and debriefings in complex situations, such as Line of Duty Deaths and suicide of a colleague.

The Advanced CISM training has been developed for EAP, human resources, public safety personnel, mental health professionals, chaplains, paramedics, firefighters, physicians, police officers, nurses, dispatchers, school,  airline personnel and disaster workers who are already trained in the critical incident stress debriefing format. It will also be useful for those who are working extensively with traumatized victims from various walks of life.

In Texas the training is approved for 14 hours of Continuing Education for EMS, Law Enforcement (14 hours), Social Work (1.4 CEUs) and  14 hours for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) &  LMFT.

Day One

· Defining a Crisis

• The nature of crisis intervention
• The scope of crisis intervention
• “Standard of care” issues
• A rationale for CISM
• Lessons learned in CISM
• Mechanisms of action in CISM
• Psychotherapy vs. crisis intervention
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Research outcomes in CISM

 Day Two

· Disasters and CISM

• Common mistakes in defusings and CISD
• Troubleshooting the CISD
• The multi-incident CISD
• The suicide CISD