Critical Incident Stress Management Training
CISM training announcement Bristol January 2023
The Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program and Highlands Community Services
will be hosting an International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) Critical
Incident Stress Management Training, also known as peer training at the Southwest
Virginia Criminal Justice Academy of January 23-26, 2023. The 4-day training includes
two ICISF courses – the Basic Group Crisis Intervention course and the Assisting
Individuals in Crisis course. Class will be held from 0800 -1700 hours with a one-hour
lunch from 1200-1300 hours. These courses serve as the training foundation for many
agencies with Law Enforcement Peer Support programs and meet the minimum
requirements for Peer and CISM team accreditation by the Virginia Department of
Health. This is also requisite training for peers involved with the Virginia Law
Enforcement Assistance Program’s CISM Team and is designed for emergency
responders in all disciplines. Mental health clinicians with prior experience working with
law enforcement are also encouraged to attend.
***Students must attend all 4 days in order to receive credit for the course.
Registration is capped at 30 participants.
Please contact Operations Director, Adam Blevins of the Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance
Program to register for this course.
Adam Blevins, CCISM
540-817-9736
adamblevins.valeap@gmail.com
The location for this training is The Southwest Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy, 1595 Bonham
Road Bristol, Virginia
ICISF Assisting Individuals in Crisis
Course Description:
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”. This program is designed to teach participants the
Critical Incident Stress Management
Training for Virginia Law Enforcement
and Communications Professionals
January 23-26, 2023
fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention. This course is
designed for anyone who desires to increase their knowledge of individual (one-on-one)
crisis intervention techniques in the fields of Business & Industry, Crisis Intervention,
Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee Assistance, Healthcare,
Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and Traumatic Stress.
Program Highlights
● Psychological crisis and psychological crisis intervention
● Resistance, resiliency, recovery continuum
● Critical incident stress management
● Evidence-based practice
● Basic crisis communication techniques
● Common psychological and behavioral crisis reactions
● Putative and empirically-derived mechanisms
● SAFER-Revised model
● Suicide intervention
● Risks of iatrogenic “harm”
Continuing Education Information
Completion of “Assisting Individuals in Crisis” and receipt of a certificate indicating full
attendance (13 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized
Training Program.
ICISF Group Crisis Intervention
Course Description:
Designed to present the core elements of a comprehensive, systematic and multicomponent crisis intervention curriculum, the Group Crisis Intervention course will
prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services.
Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be outlined and
participants will leave with the knowledge and tools to provide several group crisis
interventions, specifically demobilizations, defusings and the Critical Incident Stress
Debriefing (CISD). The need for appropriate follow-up services and referrals when
necessary will also be discussed.
This course is designed for anyone in the fields of Business & Industry Crisis
Intervention, Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee
Assistance, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and
Traumatic Stress.
Program Highlights
● Relevant research findings
● Relevant recommendations for practice
● Incident assessment
● Strategic intervention planning
● “Resistance, resilience, recovery” continuum
● Large group crisis interventions
● Small group crisis interventions
● Adverse outcome associated with crisis intervention
● Reducing risks
● Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)Completion of “Group Crisis Intervention” and receipt of a certificate indicating full
attendance (14 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized
Training Program.
Continuing Education Information
Combined Three-Day Course: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Instructor:
Adam Blevins, CCISM
Adam is a certified Critical Incident Stress Management (CCISM) professional who joined
VALEAP as Operations Director in January 2022. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal
Justice from Liberty University and has formerly served the Commonwealth of Virginia as a
State Trooper and Correctional Officer. During his time with the Virginia State Police, he
served as a peer on the department’s Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team. He
is currently a graduate student at Liberty University and is pursuing a master’s degree in
Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Adam holds certifications in advanced assisting
individuals in crisis, advanced group crisis intervention, suicide prevention, applied suicide
intervention skills training, and assisting veterans in crisis. He is an approved instructor
through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and has provided CISM
services throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland,
Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York