Jefferson County Peer Support Training

This intense three-day course is designed to equip first responders – including fire, EMS, and law enforcement personnel – with the core knowledge and skills needed to provide immediate, practical peer support to fellow responders following critical incidents. Participants will learn the essential elements of a comprehensive, systematic, and multi-component crisis intervention approach, with a strong focus on peer-driven support strategies used within police, fire, EMS, dispatch, and other first responder communities.

Key concepts within the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) model will be outlined, and participants will leave prepared to facilitate several group crisis interventions—specifically Crisis Management Briefings, Defusings, and Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISD). The course will also cover the importance of recognizing when peers need additional services and how to make appropriate follow-up referrals.

When an organization is operating at its best, members are taking care of each other and are better able to serve their communities. Members who successfully complete this training will be able to recognize and intervene with many types of issues when they are first observed. Chief officers, command staff, and other persons in leadership roles are encouraged to attend this training.

Program Highlights:

Understanding psychological crisis and crisis intervention

The resistance–resiliency–recovery continuum

Peer Support Fundamentals for First Responders

Evidence-based practices in crisis intervention

Basic crisis communication techniques

Common psychological and behavioral crisis reactions in first responders

Common mental health concerns in first responders

Relevant research findings

Large-group crisis interventions

Small-group crisis interventions

Adverse outcomes associated with crisis intervention

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)