During the ICISF’s World Congress this year, our Executive Director was honored to be awarded the ICISF Cofounder’s (Dr George Everly and Dr Jeff Mitchell) Award for Lifetime Achievement. It came as a quite a shock and surprise to be selected for this and to be recognized in front of the World Congress attendees. The… Continue Reading →
Our Executive Director was invited to co-present an original course, “Wellness: What’s this all about? What does it really mean?” This conference is held every two years and has attendees from across the globe. It is a great opportunity to learn and share from those in the field doing the actual work. Wellness and Resiliency… Continue Reading →
In August of this year, our Executive Director was invited back to Patrick SFB in Florida to present the ICISF’s course, Assisting Individuals in Crisis program to another group of individuals from the Space Force military branch. In August 2022, he presented this course as a pilot program for them as a tool to manage… Continue Reading →
On February 27th of this year, our Executive Director was invited to the MA State POST Commission on the topic of Police Officer Wellness. The commission, formed as part of the criminal justice reform legislation enacted in Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020, is in the process of cresting guidelines and mandates for policing… Continue Reading →
This year our Executive Director was invited to develop and present a program for support staff in the Fire Service. Our presentation: “What is a Critical Incident: How to recognize it in Firefighters?”, was given on February 28 at the FCAM Professional Development Conference in Worcester, MA. Attendees consisted of representatives of the Fire Services… Continue Reading →
This past December, our Executive Director was an invited speaker to come back and give two presentations at the Citizen CPR Foundation’s, Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit in San Diego, CA. This program draws a world-wide audience of not only experts in the resuscitation field, but survivors of cardiac arrest from a multitude of causes. Our… Continue Reading →
Our Executive Director was invited to present two one-day courses this year at the ICISF World Congress: Line-of-Duty Injuries: The Forgotten Population and Understanding the First Responder’s Culture: for Mental Health Staff. The conference held every two years has attendees from across the globe. This year eleven countries were represented. Line-of-Duty Injuries have been a… Continue Reading →
In April our Executive Director was invited to represent NPSS and the On-Site Academy by presenting a customized program for attendees entitled, “Students in the Fire Service: Non-traditional challenges for today’s fire instructor”. This presentation was given on April 24 at the FDIC Professional Development Conference in Indianapolis, IN. Attendees consisted of representatives of the… Continue Reading →
Last month, our Executive Director was invited to present two programs to the IL State FOP Wellness Group to support the health and well-being of Law Enforcement personnel. The two ICISF programs: Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention were presented over five days to the group in… Continue Reading →
This month our Executive Director was invited to present two programs for upper-level Fire Command members to support the health and well-being of Fire personnel. The two presentations entitled, “Line-of-Duty Injuries: the Forgotten Population” and “Peer Support and Emerging Sciences: Blending the New with the Traditional for Enhanced Wellness and Resiliency” were given on March… Continue Reading →
NPSS has the honor of being asked to present at this year’s inaugural First Responder Mental Health Resilience Conference on October 27. Sponsored by the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council, this month-long program is designed to present leading-edge approaches to fostering mental health resiliency in first responders. NPSS will be providing two presentation that… Continue Reading →
This month NPSS had the privilege of presenting at the SEIU Local 888 conference in Braintree Massachusetts. The presentation entitled, “Critical Incident Stress Management: Resources for You”, was designed to allow attendees to have an oversight of trauma and the potential impact on their personal and professional lives, stress indicators, and resources to deal with… Continue Reading →
This August, the Amtrak Police Department and members of their EAP service attended both the ICISF’s Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention and Techniques for Delivering Bad News for Crisis Response Personnel in Wilmington Delaware. Our Executive Director had the privilege of presenting these programs to this audience. The group is exposed to… Continue Reading →
In August of this year, our Executive Director was invited to and had the honor of facilitating the ICISF’s course, Assisting Individuals in Crisis for our newest military branch, Space Force at Patrick SFB in Florida. Much like the US Marines are organized under the US Department of the Navy, Space Force is a separate… Continue Reading →
On July 16, 2022 the new “988” Emergency number became operational. This number, designated by Congress in 2020, was designed to make accessing mental health services simpler for those needing assistance. The number serves those that are suicidal, are in mental distress, or otherwise need emotional support. Please share this information with those that you… Continue Reading →
This month our Executive Director was invited to develop and present two programs for upper level Fire Command members to support the health and well-being of Fire personnel. The two presentations entitled, “Substance Use/Abuse in Public Safety: What Can I Do About This?” and “Public Safety Suicide: What Every Fire Officer Should Know” were given… Continue Reading →
NPSS recently added two new course offerings in the areas of Resiliency and Wellness: “Resilient Leadership for Emergency Services and Healthcare Professions” and “The Secrets of Psychological Body Armor™ – Holistic Wellness for Emergency Services and Healthcare Professions”. Our Executive Director has been credentialed to present these programs and as such both classes carry a… Continue Reading →
This past December, our Executive Director was an invited speaker to come back and present at the Citizen CPR Foundation’s, Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit in San Diego, CA. This program draws a world-wide audience of not only experts in the resuscitation field, but survivors of cardiac arrest from a multitude of causes. Our presentation, “Drowning… Continue Reading →
This month we are at the 20-year anniversary of the attacks that changed the lives of many across the globe. The tragedy of lives directly lost that day. Many on the scene during the rescue and recovery efforts have since lost their lives due to medical complications of their work. Families were forever changed. In… Continue Reading →
This month is Mental Health Awareness month in the United States. Since 1949, this month has been dedicated to raising awareness of those who face the challenges associated with various forms of mental health issues. At NPSS, while always supportive of this effort we felt that it was especially important to help put a spotlight… Continue Reading →
With Winter well underway, seasonal activities are giving a respite from the constraints and isolation of the past year’s pandemic. COVID precautions remain in place and thus many indoor recreational activities have been replaced by outside endeavors. As a result, people have turned from activities such as ice skating in rinks to skating on frozen… Continue Reading →
It is our honor to announce that this month our Executive Director, Tom Greenhalgh, received the prestigious William H. Montgomery, MD, Excellence in Education Award from the Citizen CPR Foundation for 2019. In December of 2019, NPSS was selected to present to an international audience of medical providers, educators, family members and survivors of cardiac… Continue Reading →
This month is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month. Despite all of the resources available to people, suicide continues to happen at unacceptable rates. The nation saw a rise in suicide attempts and completions, secondary to the stressors encountered in attempting to deal with the COVID pandemic. Although the COVID infection and death rates have decreased… Continue Reading →
We are honored to have been asked to present a modified version of the program that we presented last December at the International Cardiac Arrest Survival Conference, “Taking Care of the Caregiver – the Missing Link”, by Code One Training. In these challenging times of this global pandemic, it is essential that we support our… Continue Reading →
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted and tested the world’s resolve in ways never before imagined. Disaster planning and exercise drills have been conducted around biological threats for many years but no one had envisioned the scope of the problem being as large as what we are facing today. No one is outside the reach of… Continue Reading →
This past January and February, NPSS had the opportunity to provide Advanced CISM education through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) at their regional conference in Pittsburgh, PA. Advanced skills were presented over a 4-day period including Terrorism: Psychological Impact and Implications and Thought Field Therapy. Audience members consisted of attendees from diverse backgrounds… Continue Reading →
In December, our Director traveled to Honolulu Hawaii to provide a 2-day class on the Fishers’ Side-Scan SONAR system. Honolulu FD recently purchased a JW Fisher’s system for their agency. Rescue team members from both the Honolulu and Maui Fire Departments challenged themselves over the two days to learn about and then operationalize this technology…. Continue Reading →
This December, our Executive Director was an invited speaker to present at the Citizen CPR Foundation’s, Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit in Seattle WA. Formerly known as the Emergency Cardiac Care Update conference, the program draws attendees from all over the world. Attendees this year came from 21 countries and included leaders in the resuscitation field… Continue Reading →
NPSS has added a new course to its list of stress-related trainings: Critical Incidents in Places of Worship – Providing Effective Crisis Support. This month our Executive Director was authorized by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation to be able to teach this program. Co-authored by Rev Rob Dewey and Dr. Victor Welzant, this course… Continue Reading →
On this Veteran’s Day, please take a moment to remember and give thanks to, and for, the Veterans who have served for you and this country. Many people see today as simply a “holiday” that gives them a day off from school or work. Today has a much deeper meaning to all of us and… Continue Reading →
This October our Executive Director has the privilege of being an invited speaker to co-present at the Inner Light Compass conference in Las Vegas along with Terry Trueblood, PhD and Christine Gurganus, RN, BSN. This conference focused on spiritual healing concepts and techniques for both practitioners and those wanting to learn more about this field…. Continue Reading →
This September our Executive Director had the honor of giving two presentations for the Michigan State CISM conference. This was their 31st annual conference and was a great success for them in offering a variety of classes, membership bonding, and furthering their organizational mission. Attendees came from across Michigan and surrounding states and represented various… Continue Reading →
September is National Suicide Prevention Month in the United States. Aside from the obvious loss of life, this is a public health issue that effects so many of us in various ways. The latest available estimates put out by the American Association of Suicidology show that 47,173 people took their own lives in 2017. It… Continue Reading →
In late August, our Executive Director traveled to Nashville to participate in the biennial National DoD Suicide Prevention Conference. Leaders from the military government, corporate, and non-profit sectors were in attendance to share ideas on how best to improve skills and capabilities in the areas of prevention, intervention, and postvention. Presentations by various subject matter… Continue Reading →
In August, our Executive Director had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to attend the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) conference. The focus of the trip for NPSS was to meet and exchange ideas on police officer wellness on a national level, as well as to provide state-of-the-art psychological trauma assessments and treatments… Continue Reading →
June and July have been very busy with SONAR training across the country. Our Executive Director (a corporate trainer for Dive Rescue International) continues to work with Black Laser Learning to provide Hummingbird training through Dive Rescue International. Audience members included public safety agencies from local and county agencies from multiple states. In June this… Continue Reading →
At this year’s ICISF’s 15th World Congress on Stress in Baltimore Maryland, Dr. Jim Reese received the ICISF’s biennial “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his leadership and contributions to the field of stress management. Our Executive Director had the honor of co-presenting this award to Jim’s family, along with Dr. Jeff Mitchell and Dr. George Everly… Continue Reading →
In May, NPSS and Crisis Wellness Solutions partnered to provide two seminars at the ICISF’s 15th World Congress on Stress in Baltimore Maryland. The first presentation, “Technology & Trauma: Seeing the Impact from the Inside Out”, explored the way that modern technology allows an objective insight into the psychological, emotional, and physical state of a… Continue Reading →
In April, NPSS’ Executive Director (a corporate trainer for Dive Rescue International) worked with Black Laser Learning to provide Hummingbird training through Dive Rescue International. Audience members included public safety agencies from local and county agencies from multiple states with a wide variety of skill sets. Knowing when and how to use SONAR devices such… Continue Reading →
In March, NPSS had the opportunity to provide Advanced CISM education through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) at their regional conference in Atlantic City, NJ. Advanced intervention skills were presented over a 4-day period including Strategic Response to Crisis and Advanced Assisting individuals in Crisis. Audience members consisted of attendees from diverse backgrounds… Continue Reading →
This February, NPSS along with the President of the FFMV presented two sessions to Fire Command personnel from across Massachusetts on Mental Health Issues in the Fire Service at the 2019 Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts (FCAM) Conference. Some of the contemporary topics faced by administrators that were discussed included stress, depression, addictions, suicide, veteran… Continue Reading →
As the winter season is upon us, recreational activities on our frozen waterways has begun. While many enjoy these activities without incident, there already have been many near-misses of people being rescued after falling through the ice. Once in the water the body can succumb to the effects of hypothermia very quickly, rendering the person… Continue Reading →
Our knowledge and understanding of stress management and resiliency continues to evolve as science, medicine, and psychology continue to develop. Our Executive Director spent 3 days this Fall with clinicians and practitioners from across the world exploring Functional Genomic testing and its possible implications in these areas. One of the goals at NPSS is to… Continue Reading →
In October, NPSS had the opportunity to provide CISM education through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) at their regional conference in Regina, SK. Both foundational and advanced intervention skills were presented over a 5-day period to an audience consisting of attendees from various backgrounds representing the countries of Canada, the United States, the… Continue Reading →
New members of the Fraternal Order of Firefighter Military Veterans completed a seven-day training series this Fall to prepare them to provide Peer Support in their organizations. Training included CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) classes on: Individual/Peer Support, Group Interventions, Suicide Prevention, and Battlefield to Street (a military-specific training program). This group is focused on… Continue Reading →
