Description
Peer Support Training Assisting Individuals in Crisis Including Suicide Prevention
Sponsored by: First Responder Clinicial Support Team of North Idaho(FRCST) Nicole Nestor-Gray LMFTCourse Description: 2 Day ICISF Assisting Individuals In CrisisCourse Description: 2 Day ICISF Assisting Individuals In Crisis
Course Description: 2 Day ICISF Assisting Individuals In Crisis – Peer Support + 1 Day
3 Day Combined Session:
2 Day ICISF Assisting Individuals In Crisis
1 Day Suicide Prevention
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 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.
Two-Day Course; 13 Contact Hours: 1.3 General CEUs from University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC) Dept. of Emergency Health Services Professional and
Continuing Education (PACE). Based on a formula of 1 Continuing Education Unit for
every 10 contact/classroom hours.
Behind the Badge, Beneath the Helmet: Suicide Awareness and Intervention
Course Description 1 Day (NOT AN ICISF Course):
This course provides first responders with practical, evidence-informed tools to
recognize suicide risk in themselves and their peers, respond effectively and
compassionately, and reduce stigma within their agencies.
Participants will explore the
neurobiology of stress and trauma, warning signs and risk factors specific to law
enforcement, fire, EMS, and dispatch populations, and protective factors that promote
resilience and connection. Emphasis is placed on peer-based intervention skills,
effective communication during crisis moments, and appropriate pathways for referral
and support.
Instructors
Deborah Silveria PhD Deborah Silveria PhD is a licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist with over three decades of experience. She is a therapist, consultant and international trainer, specializing in the treatment of complex trauma, grief, and stress disorders. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (USC). She is an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Basic Trainer, and an EMDR RTEP/GTEP (Recent Traumatic Episode/Group Traumatic Episode) Trainer. She co-authored a chapter in EMDR Group Therapy, Emerging Principles and Protocols to Treat Trauma and Beyond, Springer 2023. She provides therapy at the Amen Clinic in Costa Mesa, CA, where she combines advanced brain research with practical therapeutic methods. She has an extensive experience with First Responders, children, adolescents and adults.
In addition to being on the team with Magnus One and Peerology she is a member of the Counseling Team International (TCTI), an EAP that has over 100 contracts for counseling, employment testing, training, and CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) with Law Enforcement, District Attorney’s Offices, Federal Air Marshals, Border Patrol, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Fire Departments, at the federal, state, and local levels. She is also a member of The First Responder Clinician Support Team of North Idaho (FRCST)where she provides trainings on multiple topics to First Responders. Dr. Silveria is an Approved Instructor for the following ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) Courses: Assisting Individuals in Crisis, Advanced Assisting Individuals in Crisis, Group Crisis Interventions, Comprehensive Crisis Preparation and Response in the Workplace, and Resilient Leadership. She provides many trainings, to name a few: Kevlar for the Brain for Public Safety, Relational Violence, Identification and Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Identification and Treatment of Burnout, Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Trauma, Suicide Intervention and Prevention, The 5 Love Languages, and Wellness to Resilience. She is an adjunct professor at Cal State Fullerton where she teaches Trauma and Group Psychotherapy to Master’s In Counseling students. She also teaches at Cerritos College in their Foster and Kinship Program. She is part of a team of instructors for Crisis Intervention Training for Law Enforcement, designed to help officers deal more effectively with the mentally ill on the street. She has taught the segments on psychiatric medication, overview of mental illness, suicide, and dealing with veterans with PTSD.
She has worked hundreds of critical incidents nationally and internationally (Haiti, India, China) providing CISM services after natural and man-made disasters. She responded to the TSA shooting at LAX airport, the Salon Meritage shooting in Seal Beach, the Christopher Dorner Line of Duty Deaths, and the San Bernardino Terrorist Attack. In the past she has been the Clinical Director of Family Solutions, a non-profit organization for foster and group home youth on probation or involved with social services. She was the Director of an in-patient adolescent psychiatric unit at CPC Santa Ana Hospital and Director of the Partial Hospitalization program at BHC Alhambra Hospital. She was also the Day Treatment Director for Olivecrest Treatment Center’s Level 14 group home for seriously emotionally disturbed adolescent males, located in Bellflower.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives:
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”
Certificates and Continuing Education:
General Contact Hours:
Two-Day Course; 13 Contact Hours: 1.3 General CEUs from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Dept. of Emergency Health Services Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). Based on a formula of 1 Continuing Education Unit for every 10 contact/classroom hours.
ICISF Certificate of Completion:
After the completion of this ICISF course, with verified full attendance, participants are eligible to receive an electronic ICISF Certificate of Completion including General Continuing Education Units. Participants are required to complete a course evaluation prior to receiving this Certificate of Completion.
Completion of ICISF courses and receipt of an ICISF Certificate of Completion does not attest to competence in the field, nor does it provide certification in the field of CISM.
Profession Specific CEUs:
If you are seeking continuing education requirements for a specific profession, contacting the relevant state licensing board is the best way to ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate information. They can provide you with specific details regarding whether a certificate of completion from a particular course or program will be accepted towards your continuing education requirements.
Course Description 1 Day (NOT AN ICISF Course):
Behind the Badge, Beneath the Helmet: Suicide Awareness and Intervention
First responders face unique occupational stressors that significantly increase risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, including cumulative trauma exposure, moral injury, shift work, and cultural barriers to help-seeking. This course provides first responders with practical, evidence-informed tools to recognize suicide risk in themselves and their peers, respond effectively and compassionately, and reduce stigma within their agencies.
Participants will explore the neurobiology of stress and trauma, warning signs and risk factors specific to law enforcement, fire, EMS, and dispatch populations, and protective factors that promote resilience and connection. Emphasis is placed on peer-based intervention skills, effective communication during crisis moments, and appropriate pathways for referral and support.
Designed using adult-learning and trauma-informed principles, this training prioritizes psychological safety while empowering participants to take proactive steps toward suicide prevention, peer support, and personal well-being.
Course Objectives
Identify occupational, psychological, and organizational risk factors associated with suicide among first responders.
Recognize warning signs and behavioral indicators of suicide risk in oneself and in peers within public safety settings.
Describe the impact of cumulative trauma, moral injury, and chronic stress on emotional regulation, judgment, and suicide vulnerability.
Demonstrate effective communication strategies for engaging a peer who may be experiencing suicidal ideation using active listening and supportive intervention techniques.
Apply peer-support and suicide-intervention principles to realistic first-responder scenarios while maintaining psychological safety and professional boundaries.
Differentiate between situations requiring immediate emergency intervention and those appropriate for peer support and referral.
Identify internal and external resources available for suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and ongoing support for first responders and their families.
Explain the role of stigma, cultural norms, and help-seeking barriers within public safety organizations and strategies to reduce these barriers.
Develop at least one personal or agency-based action step to enhance suicide prevention, peer support, or wellness practices.
Event Details
Peer Support Training Assisting Individuals in Crisis Including Suicide Prevention
A 3-day Course Offering
Sponsored by: First Responder Clinicial Support Team of North Idaho(FRCST) Nicole Nestor-Gray LMFT
Location: 1717 E. Polston Ave., Post Falls, ID 83854
Date: March 16-18 2026 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Registration on March 16th at 8:00 am
Registration: $325
Registration Closes: March 1, 2026
Total Seats ~ 50
DOWNLOAD FLYER
Day 1: March 16, 2026
Start time:
08:00 a.m.
End time:
04:00 p.m.
Day 2: March 17, 2026
Start time:
08:30 a.m.
End time:
04:00 p.m.
Day 3: March 18, 2026
Start time:
08:30 a.m.
End time:
04:00 p.m.
Venue: Post Falls Police Department
Phone: (951) 751-7175
Email: www.nicolefamilytherapist.com
