CISM: CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING FOR DISASTER RESPONDERS

Course overview

The purpose of this course is to provide training for mental health professionals who work with victims of disaster related stress and trauma. This course prepares the disaster mental health professional to relate with disaster victims and co-workers. The warning signs and symptoms in both disaster victims and workers are explored together with stages, strategies and interventions for recovery. This course will introduce you to disasters, the community response, the role of first responders, and the role of Disaster Mental Health Services and Critical Incident Stress management responders and teams. It will provide a brief overview of Disaster Mental Health Services and Critical Incident Stress Management and their roles in responding to the needs of both victims and disaster workers. The role of critical incident stress management will be presented and discussed both for disasters and for critical incidents. This includes discussion about war, terrorism and the follow-up responses by mental health professionals. This course is designed to help participants identify appropriate methods for activating Disaster Mental Health Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) for disaster mental health services for victims, co-workers, and self. The content of this course includes general theory and models of Disaster Mental Health, Critical Incident Stress Management, crisis intervention techniques commonly used in these situations, supportive research, and practice of approaches used in responding to the victims, workers and communities affected by disasters, critical incidents and terrorism threats.