According to the American Psychiatric Association…“It is vital for all disaster workers to have some familiarity with common patterns of reaction to unusual emotional stress and... must also know the fundamental principles of coping most effectively with disturbed people…” The APA therefore has recommended Psychological First Aid (PFA) for all such personnel.

PFA has been recommended by the World Health Organization, the US Institute of Medicine, and the International Red Cross. PFA may be thought of as the most fundamental aspect of applied crisis intervention and disaster mental health. This course is designed to introduce participants to the basic knowledge and intervention techniques associated with the practice of PFA. In addition, this information can serve as the essential platform upon which more advanced individual and group crisis and disaster mental health interventions can be built. These skills will also prove useful in other specialized training such as hostage negotiations.

 

Program Highlights

What is PFA?

Where does it fit in the continuum of care?

How does it compare to CISD?

How does it compare to CISM?

What are its core elements?

What are the operational steps for implementing PFA?

What happens after PFA?

Completion of “Psychological First Aid” and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (7 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program.

 

Continuing Education Information

Course: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 7 Contact Hours; 7 CE Credits for Psychologists; 7 CE Hours for Calif. MFTs & LCSWs; 7 Contact Hours for National Certified Addiction Counselors; OR .7 General CEUs from UMBC; 7 PDHs for EAPs pending approval.

Continuing education information listed is only applicable when attending an ICISF Regional Conference.