How the Best
The American Institute of Stress https://www.stress.org/how-the-best-handle-s
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Speaker: Molly Jones, LSW & Brandon Dreiman, Captain with Indianapolis Fire Department, Coordinator of Firefighter Wellness and Support for IFD, and IAFF Peer Support Instructor
Event Description:
This presentation will address the issue of suicide among fire service members and equip attendees with a greater understanding of how suicidal ideation develops, practical strategies for preventing suicide, what to do after a member attempts or dies by suicide, and overview the basics of safety planning. Molly Jones and Brandon Drieman will discuss the unique reasons why suicidal ideation develops in fire service members, identify risk and protective factors for suicide, and dispel myths or misconceptions about suicide. Molly and Brandon will explain the step-by-step process for assessing for warning signs, best practices for connecting members to helpful resources, and how to develop a safety plan for suicide.
This presentation is intended for members of the fire service, other types of first responders, family members, treatment providers, and members of the community who are interested in furthering their knowledge on suicide and suicide prevention.
Time: 12 PM - 1:30 PM EST
Any accommodations for a disability please email, Craines@advancedrecoverysystems.com.
The course is offered via Demio. The event is free of charge.
The IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery is a one-of-a-kind treatment facility specializing in PTSD for professional fire service members who struggle with trauma, substance use, addiction and other related behavioral health challenges. It is a safe haven for members to receive the help they need in taking the first steps toward recovery and share experiences with other members who have faced or overcome similar challenges.
Speaker: Hannah Elmore, MSW
Event Description:
This training will provide spouses and family members with psychoeducation on common behavioral health concerns seen among fire service members. Participants will learn strategies for supporting the behavioral health needs of their loved ones, as well as be given insight into treatment options available for fire service members and families.
Objectives:
Time: 12 PM - 1:30 PM EST
Any accommodations for a disability please email, Craines@advancedrecoverysystems.com.
The course is offered via Demio. The event is free of charge.
The IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery is a one-of-a-kind treatment facility specializing in PTSD for professional fire service members who struggle with trauma, substance use, addiction and other related behavioral health challenges. It is a safe haven for members to receive the help they need in taking the first steps toward recovery and share experiences with other members who have faced or overcome similar challenges.
The IAFF is pleased to share our newest behavioral health online training.
Helping Members in Recovery is designed for IAFF members and affiliate leaders who want to support a fellow member in recovery from a substance use or mental health problem.
This free, two-hour, self-paced course delivers critical education, support strategies, and best practices to effectively support a sister or brother who is currently attending or recently completed treatment.
Questions this course will address:
Supporting members in recovery is everyone’s responsibility. This course was designed for IAFF members, but it is open to any fire service member.
Follow training website link for registration.
For additional information, contact behavioralhealth@iaff.org.
BH-Recovery-Course-Flyer-Jan-2023.pdf
The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) funds evidence-based Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Instructor training for Ohio first responder agencies. It is prudent to provide all first responders with the education and training necessary to become aware of the warning signs, risk factors, and situations that may cause someone to have suicidal thoughts.
The skills and techniques used in suicide prevention can apply to the public, coworkers, family, and friends. Suicide and suicidal ideation can affect anyone regardless of gender, age, race, rank, etc. Everyone plays a role in suicide prevention. You do not have to be a mental health professional to save a life. Most of the time, it is not a mental health professional that a suicidal person expresses their thoughts and feelings to first—it is a friend, colleague, or family member. This project aims to equip key first responder personnel with the confidence and competence needed to initiate conversations about suicide with colleagues, instill hope, and refer at-risk colleagues to appropriate mental and behavioral health resources.
Additional Training:
Participants will be required to complete two hours of prerequisite training.
Limitations: Your certification only allows you to present community Gatekeeper training. Certification does not include the right to train others to become Gatekeeper Instructors.
Attendees must be one of the following categories:
Attendees must be a resident of Ohio.
Variety of training dates available.
This FREE educational opportunity is brought to you by generous contributions from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Questions/General Information:
Jason Hughes
Program Manager | Veteran Liaison
Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation
jason.hughes@ohiospf.org
The Recovery Village offers online and in-person educational opportunities to help medical professionals stay up to date with the latest advancements in their fields and earn continuing education credits. We also offer community education for anyone interested in addiction and mental health topics.
At The Recovery Village, we know how important it is for medical professionals to stay current on the latest trends and treatment protocols in their fields. To help, we offer a series of continuing education opportunities in our local communities, led by our team of doctors, clinicians and trusted partners. Each presentation is designed to keep you on the forefront of advancements in the following fields: substance abuse, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders and other co-occurring mental health issues.
In 2022, Advanced Recovery Systems launched ARS University – a free online addiction and mental health education platform dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on issues and trends in these fields. Whether you’re a professional seeking continuing education or an individual looking to learn more to support yourself or someone you care about, you can find information here. We welcome you to sign up at no cost to take advantage of our weekly webinars, both live and on-demand, and engage in our community.
Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.
This course is about how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to work with people at risk for suicide—and their families—to reduce access.
This course earned two awards in 2019:
After completing this course you will be able to:
Audience
While this course is primarily designed for mental health professionals, others who work with people at risk for suicide, such as health care providers and social service professionals, may also benefit.
Course Length
This course can be completed in approximately two hours. You do not have to complete the course in one session. You can exit the course at any time and return later to the place where you left off.
Certificate of Completion
To receive a certificate of completion, you must do the following online: complete each lesson, pass the posttest (passing score is 80% or higher), and answer the feedback survey questions.
You can earn a certificate of completion once per year for each course. We do not offer continuing education credits for any of our courses.
The IAFF Peer Support Training is delivered by IAFF master peer support instructors in two formats: 1) two days in person or 2) three days online.
After completing the training, members have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide support to their peers, have a basic understanding of common behavioral health issues affecting the fire service, can serve as a bridge to community resources or behavioral health treatment when indicated, and are able to build or enhance their peer support programs.
Curriculum
Participants must first complete the online IAFF Behavioral Health Awareness Course. The two-hour course is self-paced and tailored for the fire service.
Subsequently, members participate in the interactive training taught by experienced peers in the fire service. The curriculum focuses on active listening, confidentiality, general assessment and suicide assessment, crisis intervention, action planning, outreach, self-care, and building an effective peer support program.
Instructors use small-group learning methods and skill-building exercises to encourage student participation and mastery of the material.
For a program overview, please see the IAFF Peer Support Training
https://www.iaff.org/peer-support/#find-a-training
For more information, please contact behavioralhealth@iaff.org
International Association of Fire Fighters
Attn: Health and Safety Department
1750 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006-5395
Please note that only IAFF-trained Peer Support providers will have access to this course.
The Disaster Response Peer Support training was developed as a result of more frequent and more severe natural and man-made disasters. The training provides peer supporters with information on how disasters contribute to behavioral health problems and how to intervene. Participants will learn the importance of promoting five key concepts: safety, calming, efficacy, connectedness and hope.
The goal of the program is to:
Click on the Training Website link and then Advanced Peer Support Training.
The IAFF Resiliency Training is designed for 40 in-person participants (or 25 students in the virtual format). Through a combination of self-assessment, didactic instruction, group discussion and video, participants will gain an essential foundation for personal resiliency on and off the job.
Curriculum
The IAFF Resiliency Training includes two components: pre-course content and classroom content. Pre-course content includes an individual resiliency assessment completed online, followed by a one-hour video series on organizational resiliency. Classroom content will focus on six key concepts to gain resiliency building skills that can be applied both on and off the job.
The IAFF Resiliency Training will teach you to:
In-Person Trainings
Trainings are hosted by an IAFF local or affiliated fire department. Because host sites typically choose to limit attendance to their own IAFF local or neighboring departments, the upcoming training schedule is not posted online.
Occasionally, a host site has space available for outside participants. The IAFF maintains a list of those who have expressed interest in learning when class openings occur. Notification is typically sent to the list within a few weeks of the training date.
Individuals who want to participate in the training at another host site must: (1) obtain the approval of their local president; (2) register and communicate directly with the host point of contact; and (3) be responsible for travel expenses and any registration fee charged by the host.
Sign up to be placed on the IAFF Resiliency Support Training Contact List.
Virtual Trainings
There are two ways to attend a virtual training:
Please note that only IAFF Peer Support providers will have access to this course.
The Safety Planning Intervention for Suicide Prevention training covers how to complete the Safety Planning Intervention with fire fighters who have made a suicide attempt, reported thinking about suicide or who otherwise may be at risk of suicide. Through this process, the fire fighter will learn how to recognize when they are experiencing a suicidal crisis and will develop a prioritized written list of tools they can use to keep themselves safe. This Safety Plan acts as an emergency plan, or standard operating guide (SOG), to avert a crisis and prevent the fire fighter from acting on their suicidal thoughts or urges.
After completing the course, you will be able to:
Click on the Training Website link and then Advanced Peer Support Training.
View Past IAFF COE Webinars by Topic
Addiction
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on June 25, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Jeff Gauthier, Local 215 Milwaukee on October 15, 2020
Led by Lauren Kosc, MA, LCPC & Lieutenant Chris Goggin, Local 718 Boston on April 15, 2021
Led by Dr. Kristin Klimley, Psy.D on May 20, 2021
Trauma, Grief, and Post-Traumatic Stress
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Ray Rahne, IAFF 9th District Vice President on July 16, 2020
Led by Lauren Kosc, MA, LCPC & Ray Rahne, IAFF 9th District Vice President on November 4, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Joanne Steen, MS, NCC on March 4, 2021
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Ari Brooks, LCSW on March 18, 2021
Led by Dr. Brandy Benson of Tampa Bay Psychology and Molly Jones, LSW on September 24, 2020.
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on April 8, 2021.
Led by Molly Jones, LCSW & Chris Fields, Ret. Major, Oklahoma City, OK Fire Department on May 13, 2021.
Fire Service Families
Led by Molly Jones, LSW, Dawn Roy, LCSW & Theresa Boles, Local 1271 Surrey on November 12, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW, Mike Wells, Local 1619 Prince George’s County on February 18, 2021
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Jasmyne Kennewick, MAMFT, LMFT, RPT, CSST on February 25, 2021
Peer Support
Led by Sarah Bernes, MPH, LMSW, MBA, Jeff Campbell of Local 1660 Tualatin Valley & Heith Good of Local 1723 Norwich Township on August 20, 2020
Led by Lauren Kosc, MA, LCPC & Justin Price, Local 947 Greensboro on August 13, 2020
Clinical Training
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on June 18, 2020
Led by Lauren Kosc, MA, LCPC & Ray Rahne, IAFF 9th District Vice President on July 30, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on April 22, 2021
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Theresa Boles, Local 1271 Surrey on September 10,2020
Led by Kelly Savage & Myrrhanda Jones, Center of Excellence Outreach Directors & Jim Tate, IAFF Health Care Advisor and Local 440 Fort Worth President Emeritus on December 2, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW & Tina Casola, LMFT, First Alarm Wellness on October 22, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on January 21, 2021
Miscellaneous
Behavioral Health Among Fire Fighters and Paramedics
Led by Abby Morris, MD
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on December 17, 2020
Led by Molly Jones, LSW on January 14, 2021
This free online course helps first responders assist individuals in crisis with mental illness or substance use disorder using safe, positive approaches.
Creating Safe Scenes is a free, Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)- accredited, online training course that helps first responders—police, fire, and emergency medical services—work with individuals experiencing a mental health and/or substance use crisis.
This course is designed to help first responders understand more about mental health, mental illness, and substance use disorders so they can better assess risks and apply the safest strategies for taking care of themselves and the individuals they are called to serve.
Creating Safe Scenes—which includes first-hand video accounts from responders and mental health consumers, quizzes, resources, and a final exam—will help first responders:
This free, 1-hour, online training course was developed in response to the impact of the opioid crisis on first responders across the country. It addresses the mental and physical stressors faced by firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and police when responding to opioid overdose calls. This course also provides evidence-based coping strategies, resources, and exercises to help mitigate the impacts of these stressful events.
The course is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE). Course participants complete a final exam to obtain continuing education credit.
After completing this course, you will be able to do the following:
This free online training course informs fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel about their increased risk of experiencing mental health and substance use issues and conditions. It also equips them with information and resources to address these issues in themselves or their peers.
Service to Self: Behavioral Health for Fire and EMS Personnel is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE).
Course participants complete a final exam to obtain continuing education credit.
This 60-minute course includes relatable firsthand video accounts from volunteer and career firefighters and emergency medical technicians, as well as helpful resources and interactive components to support learning.
This course is designed to help firefighters and EMS personnel to:
Mental Health First Aid for Fire and EMS focuses on the unique experiences and needs of firefighters and EMS personnel and is a valuable resource that can make a difference in their lives, their families’ lives and the communities in which they live. Firefighters and EMS workers learn about the importance of early intervention and how, as first responders, they can intervene in the field and provide direct assistance to someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis. You can find a course on this site by clicking on "Search for Course"
Mental-Health-First-Aid-Fire-EMS-One-Pager.pdfAn online training for first responders developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administraion. This training will provide CEU's for both Peer Support Team members and for paramedics.
For clinicians, the first step to learning more about providing behavioral health services to firefighters and EMS personnel is to take the free online course, Helping Heroes. This course was developed by the Medical University of South Carolina’s National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. It offers behavioral health professionals easy access to instruction that will enable them to apply the very best evidence-based approaches to the issues presented by their fire service clients. Helping Heroes is a web-based training package designed to run on all popular software and hardware platforms. Each of the 10 training modules requires approximately one hour to complete, and an additional component serves as a session-by-session toolkit guide.
Stress First Aid has been identified as the recommended protocol following a Potentially Traumatic Event. This online training will provide a working knowledge of the practice and principles of Stress First Aid in the fire service. You must register for a free account with Fire Hero Lerning Network in order to take this course.
Firefighter Life Safety Initiative #13 states: "Firefighters and their families should have access to counseling and psychological support." Stress First Aid (SFA), an important component of fulfilling this Life Safety Initiative, is a set of supportive actions designed to help emergency responders assist each other in reducing the negative impacts of stress. SFA was designed specifically to support firefighters, EMS, and rescue personnel. This module teaches SFA at the awareness level, focusing on:
This method of assisting a co-worker undergoing stress is practical, flexible, and can be tailored to the specific need.
Course Summary The goal of this course to educate IAFF members on behavioral health issues in the fire service. The course provides a basic overview of common behavioral health problems and available treatment options, information on balancing work and life stressors, and how to improve the behavioral health services offered in local departments. Successful completion of this course is a prerequisite for the IAFF Peer Support Train-the-Trainer Program. You must be an active member with the IAFF and create an online account to take this course.
Since 1918, members of the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters have been on the frontlines protecting lives and property of citizens across the Buckeye State – just as the OAPFF has been there to protect the interests and health and safety of those first responders.
The American Institute of Stress https://www.stress.org/how-the-best-handle-s
The New Year has arrived, but for many of us, the impact of 2020 remains.&nbs