It is said families can be a source of solace and place of refuge and they can also be a source and catalyst for distress. This statement seems to be even truer for families who face catastrophe. Disaster and crisis events can serve as both causes and symptoms of family distress. What affects one family member will serve to disrupt other members plus the workings of the family system itself. Traditionally crisis intervention strategies have focused on the needs of the individual and how families may meet the needs of its individuals. This workshop will depart from the norm and will explore strategies to assist and support the family unit as it navigates a disaster or crisis. The course will look at how families behave in times of crisis. Assessment and triage strategies for assisting families will be discussed. The basic protocols and skills necessary to deliver Family Psychological First Aid, Family Crisis Intervention, and Family CISM services will be presented. Case studies of common family crises and their intervention will be reviewed including disaster, family grief, serious injury/illness, and others. Methods for building and enhancing family coping and resilience will be presented along with a look at the adaptive measures healthy families of catastrophe have employed.

• Types of family stress events
• Behaviors family exhibit when in crisis
• How families “make meaning” and develop perceptions
• Methods for enhancing family coping
• Models of family stress and family adjustment
• Family psychological first aid (fpfa)
• Methods for family crisis assessment and triage
• Elements in family crisis intervention
• Differences in standard cism interventions vs family cism interventions
• Development of a family crisis program

Completion of "Family Psychological First Aid and Crisis Intervention" and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (14 Contact Hours) qualifies as a workshop in ICISF's Certificate of Specialized Training Program.

Continuing Education Information

Two-Day Workshop: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., 14 Contact Hours; 14 CE Credits for Psychologists; 14 PDHs for EAPs; 14 CE Hours for Calif. MFTs & LCSWs; 14 Contact Hours for National Certified Addiction Counselors; OR 1.4 General CEUs from UMBC

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