Knowledge and Skills for Healing a Community / PFA and SPR Training

We have had tremendous response for these trainings and are currently taking a waitlist and are exploring options for additional space. Please be sure to complete the registration for the waitlist and send any questions to Rebecca Kendall at rebecca.kendall@regionten.org.

Psychological First Aid and Skills For Psychological Recovery have been used in communities around the world to provide emotional support after traumatic community events. These trainings are geared for counselors, clergy and any community leader who would like develop more tools to provide emotional support to address the on-going impact of last summer's violence, to better respond to stress related to uncertainty about the coming summer, or to address any other natural or human disaster.

June 18th - Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach to help children, adolescents, adults, and families during and in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster or traumatic community event. PFA is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and long-term adaptive coping skills.

June 19th and 20th - Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is an evidence-informed intervention that aims to help survivors gain skills to manage distress in the weeks, months, and years following a natural disaster or traumatic community event. SPR is appropriate to use in the Recovery Phase in a variety of settings (e.g., schools, clinics, hospitals, assisted living facilities, houses of worship, community centers, libraries, and homes).

Participants have the option of signing up for one or both of the trainings, depending on how they plan to utilize the skills they learn.

The Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition (CMHWC) and the Thomas Jefferson Medical Reserve Corps (TJMRC) are partnering to strengthen our community's capacity to provide a mental health support in case of a natural or human disaster. Participants will be encouraged to share the skills that they learn with the community networks and work environments and will be invited to join a follow meeting to discuss how they are using the curricula in the community. Those who are interested will have the option of joining the Thomas Jefferson Medical Reserve Corps, a group of dedicated volunteers who are trained to provide support the community in the event of a public health emergency.

Keynote by Dr. Russell Jones. Dr. Jones is a Professor of Psychology at Virginia Tech University, and a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in trauma psychology. He is an expert in the study of disaster preparedness, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic Growth with an interest in the impact of historical and systemic trauma on people of color. He provided trauma response for the Virginia Tech shooting, Hurricane Katrina, and other disasters.

Training by Dr. Patricia Watson Dr. Watson is a senior educational specialist for the National Center for PTSD. She is co-author of the Psychological First Aid (PFA) Field Guide and the Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) Manual, produced by the National Center for PTSD and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.