ICISF Assisting Individuals in Crisis & Group Crisis Intervention

The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, Office of Public Safety is pleased to announce the availability of the ICISF Assisting Individuals in Crisis (AIC) AND Group Crisis Intervention (GCI) training courses. These courses are a critical component for those in law enforcement (including police, corrections, parole, probation officers and LE chaplains), that serve as law enforcement peers or wish to serve as a peer or develop a peer support program.

These are International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) developed curriculums and will provide training on the the various critical incident stress management techniques, when and how to use each one, and include group exercises to practice the skills needed to be an effective peer.

These FREE two-day classes are being offered:

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: September 8-9, 2025 – Franklin County

Group Crisis Intervention: September 10-11, 2025 – Franklin County

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: October 13-14, 2025 – Montgomery County

Group Crisis Intervention: October 15-16, 2025 – Montgomery County

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: November 17-18, 2025 – Nassau County

Group Crisis Intervention: November 19-20, 2025 – Nassau County

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: December 8-9, 2025 – Steuben County

Group Crisis Intervention: December 10-11, 2025 – Steuben County

Assisting Individuals in Crisis

By attending the Assisting Individuals in Crisis attendees will learn how to provide individual crisis intervention using proven methodology. The AIC training will cover the following learning objectives:

• Understand the natures & definitions of a psychological crisis and psychological crisis intervention
• Understand the resistance, resiliency, recovery continuum
• Understand the nature and definition of critical incident stress management and its role as a continuum of care
• Practice basic crisis communication techniques
• Be familiar with common psychological and behavioral crisis reactions
• Understand the putative and empirically derived mechanisms of action in psychological crisis intervention
• Practice the SAFER-Revised model of individual psychological crisis intervention
• Understand how the SAFER-Revised model may be altered for suicide intervention
• Understand and discuss the risks of iatrogenic “harm” associated with psychological crisis intervention and will further discuss how to reduce those risks 

Group Crisis Intervention

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, defusing's and the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). 

The GCI training will cover the following learning objectives:

• To increase awareness of key terms and concepts relevant to the practice of crisis intervention and disaster mental health intervention.
• To become familiar with relevant research findings and recommendations for practice.
• To understand the nature and importance of incident assessment and strategic intervention planning.
• To understand the nature of the “resistance, resilience, recovery” continuum and the role of the integrated, multi-component, Critical Incident Stress Management system (CISM).
• To become familiar with large group crisis interventions:
  • Rest, Information & Transition Service (RITS; formerly called Demobilization) Crisis Management Briefings
• To become familiar with small group crisis interventions:
  • Defusing
  • Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)                  
• To become familiar with risks of adverse outcome associated with crisis intervention and how to reduce those risks. 

Presenter: Brian Flynn, LCSW, MA, CCISM, CFRC. 

Brian is a clinical social worker and a certified first responder counselor with over 20 years of teaching and clinical experience working with veterans and first responders.  He is a university lecturer and holds a certification in critical incident stress management.  His psychological first aid, disaster mental health and crisis intervention experience includes working with first responders at Ground Zero after the attacks on 9/11, traveling to Thailand to provide support to those impacted by tsunami of 2004, responding to the shooting at the Washington, DC Naval Yard, several 9/11 anniversary memorials in NYC, providing mental health and psychological first aid training to disaster volunteers during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as well as being responsible for the coordination of support and logistics as Disaster Mental Health Co-Lead during the aftermath of the 2009 shooting at The American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY.  He was an emergency room and trauma center social worker and has provided CISM support to both first responders and civilians. Brian is an approved instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and a member of the New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NYLEAP) where he provides instruction, training coordination and clinical support. He is a New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association Mental Health Medical Liaison and a Disruptive Event Management Consultant with R3 Continuum.  He’s currently the NY and NJ State Coordinator for HOPE: Animal Assisted Crisis Response and a former member of the United Nations NGO subcommittee on Disaster Mental Health.

There is no fee to attend this course. The number of seats available is extremely limited. Therefore, you must receive confirmation on attendance. All interested parties should register immediately to secure a seat in the training. The location of training and class times will be provided through an email confirmation, you must register to attend.

All attendees who complete the training will receive a certification of completion from ICISF additionally  those individuals listed on the police and peace officer registry will have their DCJS Acadis training record updated to reflect successful completion.

Registration link: (you must select each class individually to register):

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: September 8-9, 2025 – Franklin County
Registration for AIC: Assisting Individuals in Crisis - Franklin County Survey

Group Crisis Intervention: September 10-11, 2025 – Franklin County
Registration for GCI: Group Crisis Intervention - Franklin County Survey

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: October 13-14, 2025 – Montgomery County
Registration for AIC: Assisting Individuals in Crisis - Montgomery County Survey

Group Crisis Intervention: October 15-16, 2025 – Montgomery County
Registration for GCI: Group Crisis Intervention - Montgomery County Survey

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: November 17-18, 2025 – Nassau County
Registration for AIC: Assisting Individuals in Crisis - Nassau County Survey

Group Crisis Intervention: November 19-20, 2025 – Nassau County
Registration for GCI: Group Crisis Intervention - Nassau County Survey

Assisting Individuals in Crisis: December 8-9, 2025 – Steuben County
Registration for AIC: Assisting Individuals in Crisis - Steuben County Survey

Group Crisis Intervention: December 10-11, 2025 – Steuben County
Registration for GCI: Group Crisis Intervention - Steuben County Survey

A course registration form may be completed online.  If you are not currently connected to the internet, you may go online at a later time to the above listed date on the DCJS training calendar and click on the link there. Directions to the training site and additional course information will be included in your confirmation notice.

If you have any questions, please contact Courtney Macygin at [email protected] .