“Peer Support: Bringing Your Team To The Next Level!”

Your Peer Support Team is up and running. That’s great! Now the real work starts. Training and communication for your teams, leaders and support partners is critical to achieving growth and to the overall success of the support team. You’re going to need buy in from many different groups, which should include family members, city and township management, command staff, Union leadership, EAP and, perhaps most importantly, your peers.

Whether you are just launching a team, or you’ve been operating for a while, this course will help and encourage you. Peer Support Teams is designed as an open discussion format. Two the Rescue will lead the dialogue on a range of developmental topics, encouraging course participants to raise specific questions on what is and isn’t working in sustaining their peer support team.

Topics addressed will include:

  • History of First Responder Peer Support
  • Ongoing needs and support
  • Continuing educational training
  • Education for the leadership
  • How to educate the new recruits
  • Problem Recognition
  • Policy, Procedures & SOP’s
  • State Laws – privacy of peer to peer conversations
  • What is a CISM Debriefing vs. Defusing?
  • When is it time for the One-on-One’s?
  • Mindset of an organization and its personnel
  • Building awareness and trust: How to make your team visible
  • WHO is on this team and how to keep them healthy
  • The importance of Networking and Mutual Aid
  • Where does CISM fall when dealing with First Responders family members
  • Death Notifications
  • Dealing with the Line of Duty Death or Suicide of a colleague
  • References, Resources and Support

WHO’S TRAINING YOU?

Meet 2 The Rescue Co-owner Terry Bykerk

A retired two-time Police Officer Of The Year nominee with more than 25 years in law enforcement, Terry applies over 6,000 hours of experience in the classroom and practical skill instruction to the benefit of emergency responders and others. The holder of multiple certifications relating to law enforcement, a certified subject matter expert, precision driving, executive protection and more, he has a unique way of imparting lessons learned from his successes and failures. These are presented not just as “war stories” but as practical advice seminar participants can use every day.

Meet 2 The Rescue Co-owner Mike Wierenga

A 30-plus year veteran in firefighting and law enforcement, Mike is an active-duty training officer for a police department in western Michigan. He has more than 6,500 hours of hands-on and classroom instruction, and is a certified subject matter expert. This former Police Officer Of The Year combines over 550 hours of critical incident stress management training with front-line applications in multiple line-of-duty deaths, officer-involved shootings, suicides and other violent tragedies. His passion for the safety and emotional wellness of emergency responders and their loved ones is easily seen by all in his presentations.