C2 - Advanced Psychological First Aid and Applied Positive Psychology: A Peer Training Program

Challenges of the COVID pandemic included a shortage of mental health clinicians, overwhelming burdens on hospital staff and first responders, and the lack of peer training to respond to this crisis. We designed and implemented an intensive six-week program to train peer counselors in Advanced Psychological First Aid and Applied Positive Psychology. The prerequisite was Dr. Everly’s Coursera.org course describing the RAPID model of Psychological First Ai. We will review Dr. Everly’s newer ICARE model and engage the audience to demonstrate its steps. Our program extended the online training by providing 24 hours of classroom training and interactive experiences that allowed students to ask questions and discuss issues and challenges. Homework included self-assessment inventories plus four increasingly difficult crisis-oriented case studies that required approximately ten additional hours. Students recorded a new weekly case study to practice and deepen their understanding and application of the ICARE model. Each student received immediate feedback from peers after playing the role of the psychological first aid provider as well as intensive written feedback from two doctoral-level psychologists. We will describe each part of the training including Psychological First Aid (Dr. Everly), Applied Positive Psychology (Dr. Carney), and written case study feedback (Dr. Neel). We will discuss our delivery of monthly training-coaching sessions (two hours each) on topics identified and requested by students. We will provide feedback from government agencies’ and non-profit organizations’ staff training participants and community leaders. The SAMSHA sponsored and Danya Institute managed Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center funded two pilot cohorts in 2021. The County Executive in Anne Arundel County, MD saw this program as an innovation in Community Mental Health. He provided additional funds and encouragement to train four cohorts in 2022. He will comment on this program’s impact.

*Profession Specific CEs:

This presentation is approved for 1.5 CE Credits by The Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency, Inc. (AACMHA) as an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland.

This presentation is approved for 1.5 PDH from EAPA- Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

1.5 CE Credits for NAADAC, This course has been approved by International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider # 87914, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

*Review ICISF World Congress 17 CE website page for additional requirements.