Learn to identify, understand, and work with the “Blue Wall of Silence” in the law enforcement community. Designed to provide insight and understanding of the different types of stress in law enforcement culture from a systems perspectives emphasis, this course will provide practical “back pocket skills” in providing crisis intervention services to law enforcement organizations and individual personnel in crisis.

The LE Perspectives course is intended for law enforcement officers, their families, mental health professionals, chaplains, and organizations that interact within the law enforcement community. It is an excellent course for CISM teams and team members who would want to enhance their understanding of the differences in the law enforcement culture as compared to other first responder cultures.

Program Highlights:

• Community perceptions of the Law Enforcement Profession
• Differentiated Model of oppression in capitalistic systems
• System dysfunctions in the LE culture
• Special considerations when providing CMB group interventions
• Stress areas of a LE officer in crisis
• Specific stress areas to LE officer culture
• Healthy coping mechanisms and resiliency protective factors
• Interventions to a suicide of a LE officer or a LODD
• Addictions and CISM response
• Psychological/emotional perceptions following an officer involved shooting

Successful completion of the Approved Instructor Candidate Program will allow you to teachi this curriculum to others. Continuing education will be required to maintain your instructor status.

Prerequisites for Participation in Approved Instructor Candidate Program:

• Completion of the following ICISF courses as taught by ICISF or by an approved ICISF instructor. (Copies of certificates of completion are required to accompany the application.)
  • Group Crisis Intervention
  • Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support
  • Law Enforcement Perspectives for CISM Enhancement courses
  • Preferred: Completion of above plus completion of Advanced Group or Strategic Response to Crisis
• A minimum of three years critical incident / traumatic stress experience.
• Completion of a minimum of 15 group interventions. (Equivalent experience will be evaluated on a case by case basis).
• A letter of recommendation from a local, state or regional CISM team or agency / institution dated within three months of application due date.*
• A letter of endorsement from a local, state or regional CISM coordinator or clinical director dated within three months of application due date.*

*At least one of the letters of recommendation must attest to the instructo candidate's teaching ability. If neither of the aforementioned letters can do so, a third letter must be submitted.

• Active membership on a crisis intervention team.
• Current ICISF membership.
• A copy of a current CV or resume.
• Offical course application form.
• A brief statement outlining
  1. Your crisis intervention/CISM experience.
  2. Your instructional experience.
  3. Reasons for applying for ICISF Approved Instructor Training.
  4. Your background as a Law Enforcement officer with ten years service OR as a mental health professional/chaplain/civilian worker with three years of service interacting with a law enforcement agency.