Crisis Intervention is NOT psychotherapy, rather, it is a specialized acute emergency mental health intervention which requires specialized training. As physical first aid is to surgery, crisis intervention is to psychotherapy. Thus, crisis intervention is sometimes called emotional first aid.

Developed by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Assisting Individuals in Crisis is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention. It is intended for those wanting to increase their knowledge of individual (one-on-one) crisis intervention techniques; and working in such fields as business, industry, crisis intervention, disaster response, education, emergency services, employee assistance, health, social services, mental health, military, spiritual care, security, and traumatic stress.

Course highlights include:
• Psychological crisis and psychological crisis intervention
• Resistance, resiliency, recovery continuum
• Critical incident stress management
• Evidence-based practice; Basic crisis communication techniques
• Common psychological and behavioural crisis reactions
• SAFER-Revised model
• Suicide intervention
• Do no harm.

Completion of this course and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (13 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in International Critical Incident Stress Foundation's Certificate of Specialized Training Program.

Instructor: Michael Swainson