Strengths-Based, Trauma-Informed, Peer Crisis Support Skills For Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
This specialized skills course is based in the Growing Through crisis support model now open to communities worldwide. This is a special intensive originally developed for social service and healthcare staff, volunteers, outreach, public safety and mobile crisis workers. Designed to provide confidence in engagement, critical incident management, prevention of violence and suicide in the spirit of growth and compassion, this intensive skills course integrates Growing Through to bring a unique focus to skills that make a difference at tough moments. The course totals 20 hours, comprised of 4 Live Skills Sessions and 8 hours of self-paced online content and learning exercises.
Related experience is recommended but not required for registration.
Crisis Ally is Compassion-based Support Skills for the New Community Crisis Workforce.
Crisis Ally is highly regarded by both incoming and experienced professionals in the mental health field. This course will supply you with confidence, knowledge, and skills to support anyone on what can be the worst day of their lives.
Confidence
- Ally with someone in distress on a Crisis Ally basis
- Encounter intensity and listen to suffering
- Discuss difficult issues including violence, trauma, and suicide
- Offer shared meaningful experience when and where it is truly helpful
- Show up in the spirit of compassion for others on the worst day of their lives
Knowledge
- “Less-tening” and Compassionate Curiosity
- Strengths focused, recovery and phenomenological language related to mental health and suicide
- Offering and the Vice of Advice
- How to Engage with Intense Situations
- Rolling With Intensity
- The Suicide Question
Core Concepts
- Presence and Use of Self at intense times
- The Growth/Recovery model of crisis and distress
- Crisis Ally principles and values
- Alliance and Meaningful Shared Experience
- The 5 D’s, The 5 P’s, the Big R and the 3 Ls
Skills and Tools
- Meaningful Shared Experience
- Dignity Growth Language
- Statement of Intention
- Positive Inhibition/WAIT
- Open Questions
- Meaning Reflections
- SIFTing/Gleaning
- Offering lived experience intentionally
Everyone Can Hurt
Anyone Can Help
Be a Crisis Ally Today
“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” ~Abraham Maslow