Train the Trainer – Resilient Minds™: Building the Psychological Strength of Fire Fighters

The Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver-Fraser Branch (CMHA VF) and the British Columbia Municipal Safety Association (BCMSA) have partnered to engage and inform firefighters in four areas crucial to their work: building psychological resiliency, trauma, psychological distress, and trauma-informed responses. This will be achieved through BCMSA offering the peer driven CMHA program, Resilient Minds: Building the Psychological Strength of Firefighters™, to both volunteer and career municipal firefighters across the province starting in January 2020.

Program and Course Overview:

Train-the Trainer (TTT): This 3-day course certifies Peer Instructors selected within their department or region, to deliver the 8-hour Resilient Minds program to their peers. Train- the- Trainer is delivered by a Fire Fighter Instructor Trainer and a CMHA Instructor Trainer privately, to a fire dept. or, to a regional team of up to 20 Peer Instructor candidates. This model is a sustainable one for Fire Dept. or Regions where there are significant numbers of fire fighters. Annual refresher webinars available for instructors.

Program Goals:

• Recognize effects of psychological stress/trauma in self and peers
• Learn the 4 R Action Toolkit™ to support peers who may be struggling
• Use a trauma-informed response with distressed citizens
• Apply personal strategies for managing stress, mitigating trauma and boosting resilience

Module 1

• Recognize effects of psychological stress/trauma in self and peers,
• Communicate with peers who may be struggling,
• Use a trauma-informed response with distressed citizens,
• Apply personal strategies for managing stress, mitigating trauma and boosting resilience.

Module 2

• Structure conversations with peers using the 4R Action Toolkit™,
• Identify signs that may indicate a peer is struggling,
• Develop communication techniques,
• Modify the 4R Action Toolkit in crisis situations,
• Outline supporting a peer’s recovery.

Module 3

• Identify components of trauma informed responding,
• Apply the 4R Action Toolkit ™to citizens,
• Employ techniques to support de-escalation in citizens,
• Develop techniques for increasing your compassion satisfaction & resilience.

Module 4

• Define challenges and potential negative impacts of the work,
• Develop personal tools for building resilience,
• Identify ways to promote growth after stressors,
• Apply the 4R Action tool-kit™ to self.

Course Length:
3 Days (8 Hours per Day)

Class Minimum/Maximum:
1/20

Classroom Delivery Price:
Please contact the BCMSA for the cost of this course, by selecting the “Inquire Now” button below.

Financial Subsidy:
This training may be eligible for the B.C. Employer Training Grant Learn More Here.