Peer Support Program 3-Day Course (24 Hours)
Purpose: The purpose of this course is to provide law enforcement sworn and professional peer support personnel with the necessary information, skills, and resources to be able to complete their peer support duties effectively.
Learning Outcomes: When responding to law enforcement personnel in a peer support capacity, graduates of this course will be able to recognize when an employee is having problems, effectively respond with supportive interventions, and, when necessary, provide the employee with additional resources and referrals.
PSP – Day 1
1. Peer Support Program Overview
Learning objective: Students will describe the history and effectiveness of peer support in law enforcement. They will also identify who is eligible to receive peer support services, and describe the training and administrative requirements for peer supporters.
Minimum Topics
2. Ethics in Peer Support
Learning objective: Students will identify four ethical principles and discuss their applications in peer support.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will be given various ethical dilemma vignettes to identify the issue and propose a solution. Class discussion to follow.
3. Basic Helping Skills (Part 1)
Learning objective: Students will utilize basic helping skills to recognize distress, offer help, establish rapport, engender hope, and set goals.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify their own signs and symptoms of distress. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Role play to practice skills learned to identify signs of distress, offer help, and establish rapport. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will practice effective goal-setting skills using vignettes provided by the instructor. Class discussion to follow.
4. Basic Helping Skills (Part 2)
Learning objective: Students will identify the six helping response modes and utilize the 10-Step Action Plan problem solving approach.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will be provided with a vignette demonstrating ineffective use of a helping response mode and asked to identify why the helping response mode might have been ineffective, and propose additional helping response mode(s) to more effectively engage with the peer support contact. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will role play peer support interactions using the 10-step action plan problem solving approach worksheet. Class discussion to follow.
5. Alcohol and Substance Misuse
Learning objective: Students will identify the signs/symptoms of alcohol and substance misuse, identify the risks of misuse specific to law enforcement personnel, interpret the Stages of Change recovery model, and identify treatment resources.
Minimum topics
Learning activity – Students will take the AUDIT self-assessment tool to familiarize themselves with this instrument and how it can be used in peer support interactions. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will be given vignettes that illustrate various Stages of Change. They will identify the stage and discuss among themselves in small groups. Class discussion to follow.
Assessment: Students will be given a written exam summarizing the content reviewed in day one. The exam will consist of multiple choice, matching, and fill-in questions. Students will also complete the course evaluation form for day one.
6. Course Conclusion
PSP – Day 2
1. Advanced Helping Skills (Part 1) – Cognitive Behavioral Approaches
Learning objective: Students will discuss cognitive-behavioral approaches to address a peer support contact’s resistance, identify and challenge cognitive distortions, and identify defense mechanisms.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will be given vignettes that demonstrate common ambivalent/resistant peer support contacts. They will identify and role play techniques to address the contact’s ambivalence/resistance. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify their own automatic thoughts, type(s) of cognitive distortions, and identify a more balanced thought. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify their defense mechanisms during a period of emotional discomfort, identify how this helped them cope, and identify potential problems with the type of defense mechanism used. Class discussion to follow.
2. Stress Management
Learning objective: Students will identify the general signs and symptoms of stress and potential consequences of poor stress management. They will develop a stress management plan that includes healthy coping strategies.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify signs and symptoms of stress, including when they are experiencing too little stress, optimal stress, and too much stress. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will take two stress self-assessment tools to familiarize themselves with these instruments and understand their use in peer support interactions. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will use vignettes to develop a stress management plan. Class discussion to follow.
3. Advanced Helping Skills (Part 2) – Helping a Person in Crisis
Learning objective: Students will identify general characteristics of a person in crisis, recognize specific issues related to law enforcement personnel in crisis, and apply techniques to support an individual through a crisis.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Using personal and professional experiences dealing with people in crisis, students will list physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral signs and symptoms of a crisis. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will be given vignettes illustrating peer support contacts in crisis. They will select possible supportive interventions to utilize. If time permits, students will role play techniques to support a peer support contact in crisis. Class discussion to follow.
4. Critical Incidents
Learning objective: Students will define and identify various types of critical incidents, identify common stress reactions following a critical incident, and discuss the debriefing process.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral signs and symptoms following a critical incident. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will use vignettes of critical incident scenarios to identify supportive strategies they might utilize in peer support contacts. Class discussion to follow.
5. Relationship Problems and Domestic Violence
Learning objective: Students will identify contributing factors to relationship problems and domestic violence among law enforcement personnel. They will describe the Cycle of Violence and identify indicators of life threatening domestic violence, as well as identify resources and examine strategies for peer support interventions.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will role play supportive strategies to address ongoing relationship and end of relationship issues. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will be given vignettes illustrating domestic violence, identify indicators of violence, and choose potential strategies to utilize in a peer support contact. Class discussion to follow.
Assessment: Students will be given a written exam summarizing the content reviewed in day two. The exam will consist of multiple choice, matching, and fill-in questions. Students will also complete the course evaluation form for day two.
6. Course Conclusion
PSP – Day 3
1. Anger Management
Learning objective: Students will identify and practice tools to increase awareness of anger, assertively and appropriately express anger, control inappropriate anger, and develop an anger management plan.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify their individual “red flags” for anger. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will be given a worksheet to practice the “three-step rule” for assertively and appropriately expressing anger (describe the behavior, describe what it felt like, and suggest what change you would like to remedy the situation). Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will practice writing an anger management plan and discuss how this tool might be helpful in peer support interactions.
2. Suicide Prevention
Learning objective: Students will describe suicide facts versus myths, discuss elements of a suicide risk assessment, identify treatment options and resources, and demonstrate appropriate peer support interventions when dealing with a suicidal contact.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will receive multiple statements about suicide and identify whether they believe it is a myth or fact. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will role play peer support interventions with a suicidal contact. Class discussion to follow.
3. Grief, Loss, and Depression
Learning objective: Students will describe general characteristics of grief, loss, and depression. They will also identify peer support intervention strategies, referrals, and resources
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will be shown a variety of videos depicting individuals who have dealt with grief, loss, and/or depression. They will work in small groups to identify signs and symptoms, stages of grief and loss, and other components of grief and loss. Class discussion to follow.
4. Unexpected Time Off Work: Illness, Injury, and Investigations
Learning objective: Students will identify common issues related to illness, injury, and investigations including functional impairments, financial concerns, and stigma.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will be given vignettes illustrating issues related to illness, injury, and investigations. Working in small groups, students will identify reactions and possible supportive strategies to help a contact who is experiencing any of these issues.
5. Compassion Fatigue and Peer Survival
Learning objective: Students will describe burnout and compassion fatigue, utilize self-assessment tools, and identify strategies to recognize limits and maintain adequate self-care.
Minimum Topics
Learning activity – Students will take the burnout and compassion fatigue self-assessment tools to familiarize themselves with these instruments and their potential use in peer support interactions. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will engage in a self-reflective activity to identify their personal limits related to peer support functions. Class discussion to follow.
Learning activity – Students will develop their own self-care action plan. Class discussion to follow.
Assessment: Students will be given a written exam summarizing the content reviewed in day three. The exam will consist of multiple choice, matching, and fill-in questions. Students will also complete the course evaluation form for day three.
6. Course Conclusion