Understanding Human Violence: Survival Information for Emergency Services and Counselors

Course Description:
Emergency services and counselors are asked to respond to natural and man-made disasters and human-perpetrated violence. These latter requests may involve critical incidents such as street crime, domestic violence, workplace violence, psychosis, substances use, and youth violence. This two-day course focuses on enhancing safety and survival when providing care in these situations.

The course presents what is known about these types of violence and the settings where they occur so that personnel onsite have a better understanding of what has happened and how to provide care safely in these circumstances. The course will focus on the theories of violence; violent acts in the home, the community, and the workplace; and issues associated with youth violence. Since not all human violence is preventable, the course will include a short overview of psychological trauma and CISM interventions to address the needs of victims in the aftermath of these violent acts at the hands of others. The problem of evil will be a central focus of the course.

This course is a companion course to Behavioral Emergencies: Survival Strategies for Emergency Services and Counselors. Having learned why patients become violent, the companion course focuses on specific strategies for safety, including scene surveillance, self-defense strategies, and self-care skills. Neither course is a prerequisite for the other but together provide a well-rounded approach for providing safe and secure care.

Completion of “Techniques for Delivering Bad News for Crisis Response Personnel” and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (7 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program.

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