Module Two: Principles of Critical Incident Peer Support

1. Module Two: Principles of Critical Incident Peer Support Critical Incident Peer Support for Law Enforcement

2. Learning Objectives • The participant will be able to identify the main principles of critical incident peer support. • Participant will be able to: • Explain why peer support is important. • Describe the main functions of a peer supporter. • Identify the characteristics of an effective peer supporter. • Identify the key responsibilities of a peer supporter. • Examine the peer support member selection process. • Discuss model peer support programs.

3. Module Overview What is critical incident peer support (CIPS)? Why peer support? Goal of CIPS History of peer support Characteristics of peer supporters Basic peer supporter skills Intervention skills Peer support responsibilities Model peer support programs

4. Module Two Introduction Video

5. What Is Critical Incident Peer Support? • A formal system in which peers are specially selected and trained to provide a first line of assistance and basic crisis intervention to fellow officers.

6. What Peer Supporters Do • Complement services provided by outside professionals • Expand available resources • Offer a choice to personnel who want to talk to someone who has “been there”

7. Why Peer Support? • Helps to overcome problems before they impact performance • Benefits: • Increased productivity • Positive effect on morale • Decreased absenteeism • Accident reduction • Cost effective

8. Why Peer Support? Traditional police culture: only an officer can understand another officer. Those who sought the help of mental health professionals were seen as non-resilient.

9. Goals of CIPS • Information and knowledge • Symptom relief • Insight and understanding • Normalized perspective • Reduced helplessness, hopelessness, and isolation

10. History of Peer Support • First peer counselors: mid-1950s, Boston, New York City, and Chicago Police Departments used peer support to deal with problems of alcoholism • 1970s and 1980s, many departments began to develop peer-counseling programs

11. Characteristics of Peer Supporters • Trustworthiness • Take a passive role • Make a good first impression • Accept people • Able to give support • Sense of humor • Openly friendly • Emotionally stable • Tolerant • Able to accept not being accepted • Non-aggressive • Do not use people to show power • Respect for other cultures • Non-judgmental • High sense of ethics–professional attitude

12. Basic Peer Support Skills • Demonstrate effective communication skills • Recognize major disorders/diseases • Recognize critical incident stress • Know when to refer peers

13. Intervention Skills • Professional identification • Commitment • Objectivity • Tolerance • Support • Confidentiality • Availability • Patience • Knowledge of legal/interpersonal requirements

14. Four Assumptions of CIPS Programs • Officers are normal people working in an extraordinary profession. • Peer counselors have more credibility. • Early intervention is the best prevention of PTSD. • Peer counselors should be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

15. Peer Support Responsibilities Volunteer, on or off duty Respond at any hour Maintain confidentiality Complete required forms

16. Peer Support Responsibilities • A peer supporter’s primary function is to: • Listen • Assess • Refer • Never a replacement for professional care

17. Peer Support Member Selection • We look for a peer support member who has: • Ability to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity to others’ needs • Good observational and listening skills • Prior successful personal experience dealing with crisis situations

18. Practical Exercise • Identify basic principles of peer support • Divide into groups of four to five to discuss the scenario described in your Student Guide. • You will have 20 minutes to complete the group discussion and return to the class. • Identify the necessary characteristics, skills, and responsibilities of a peer supporter that would be relevant to these scenarios.

19. Model Peer Support Programs • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) • Cop 2 Cop (New Jersey and New York) • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) • Federal Law Enforcement Training Center • National Fraternal Order of Police • New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and State Police • New York City Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA) • Oklahoma City: Critical Incident Workshops • U.S. Marshals Service • U.S. Secret Service • World Trade Center—Rescuer Support Victim Program

20. ATF • Community-based outreach program • Ombudsman services provide services to: • Family members of bureau employees • Employees of state and local agencies as well as their families who have experienced critical incidents • Program has four components: • Peer responders • Mental health professionals • Chaplains • Trainers • Program Publication

21. Cop 2 Cop • Suicide prevention and mental health support 24-hour hotline for law enforcement officers • Offered through the Department of Human Services in the State of New Jersey • Program has four components: • Peer and clinical support services • Clinical assessments • Referrals • Critical incident stress management • Cop 2 Cop Web site

22. FBI • Stress management program for employees and their families • Employee Assistance Unit started in 1993 • Program offers: • Critical incident stress management • Peer support/post-critical incident seminars

23. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center • Stress preventative program for students, staff, and families • Program offers: • Guidance on issues encountered while a student • Support to officers who have been involved in critical incidents • Peer Support Program Web site

24. National Fraternal Order of Police • Critical Incident Stress Management Program for emergency service workers • Program offers: • “Services that mitigate or lessen the impact of the effects of critical incidents and accelerate the recovery following a traumatic event” • FOP Web site

25. NJ Attorney General’s Office and State Police • Critical Incident Stress Response Program serving high risk rescuers • Program offers: • Statewide customized critical incident stress response for first responders • Peer support and rescuer expertise • New Jersey Disaster Critical Incident Stress Response (NJDCISR) Web site

26. Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance • Peer assistance program serving police officers and their families • Program offers: • Confidential, safe, and supportive environment to help officers and their families cope with the stresses of the job • Support for marital issues, substance abuse, suicide, and psychological disorders • POPPA Web site

27. Oklahoma City: Critical Incident Workshops • Critical incident workshops for rescue personnel, survivors, volunteers, and family members • Program offered: • 70 workshops, using a 4-day format • Intervention teams

28. U.S. Marshals Service • Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) services for personnel and their families • Program offers: • Incident-specific counseling • Employee assistance • U.S. Marshals Service Web site

29. U.S. Secret Service • Critical Incident Peer Support Team for new agents and uniformed officers offered through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) • Program offers: • Crisis intervention and crisis debriefings • Precrisis education seminars • EAP Web site

30. World Trade Center—Rescuer Support Victim Program • Intervention services for law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel • Program offered: • Crisis intervention hotline help • Crisis intervention training program • Clinical intervention services • WTC-RSVP Web site

31. Review—Check on Learning Why is peer support important? What are the main functions of a peer supporter? What are characteristics of an effective peer supporter? What are the key responsibilities of a peer supporter? What can you and your agency learn from other peer support programs?