Post Critical Incident Seminar: Implementation and Best Practices in a Correctional Setting (2023)

About this Event

While working in corrections can be extremely rewarding, it can also be stressful and even dangerous at times. Employees are trained on how to respond to and intervene in almost any critical incident. Training is done to improve employee skills in how to document incidents and investigate and/or prevent incidents. Debriefings are held to ensure environmental safety. However, after a critical incident, are you certain that your officers are prepared for the possible traumatic effects they will endure after critical incidents? What does support look like for officers after a critical incident to ensure that recovery happens not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically, too?

Many correctional agencies have peer teams. They are a vital part of supporting staff and building resiliency, but there are times when staff need more. One best practice is to provide staff with a post critical incident seminar (PCIS). PCIS was originally created by the FBI and later implemented for front line law enforcement and other first responders over 25 years ago. While PCIS is not a new concept, it is new for corrections.

In this webinar, participants will learn how the South Carolina Department of Corrections implemented PCIS with very promising results. Research findings will be shared from both front line law enforcement, as well as correctional staff who have participated in post critical incident seminars. Information will also be shared about how PCIS can be developed for your agency.

Take-Aways:

During this webinar, participants will:

• Be able to identify at least 4 components of post critical incident seminars (peer-led small breakout groups, mental health support, spouse/partner support, training about various trauma-related topics, and physical wellness [i.e., massage therapy, yoga, mindfulness activities])
• Be able to define EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing) and the possible effect it can have on correctional staff who have ongoing, trauma-related issues
• Gain an understanding of research findings related to law enforcement’s experience with PCIS as well as preliminary parallel findings for correctional staff
• Learn about at least three examples of correctional staff who could benefit from participating in a PCIS. (e.g., Employees who have ongoing, long-term trauma reactions from something they experienced in their personal and/or professional life or employees who have experienced cumulative trauma over time that is affecting their present life)

Target Audience

Any employee of a state, federal, local, or tribal correctional jurisdiction.

Presenters

• Karin Ho
  Division Director of Victim Services, South Carolina Department of Corrections

  Karin has been a victim advocate for over 35 years, providing direct services to crime survivors. For 11 of those years, she worked in the sexual assault field in various community-based rape crisis programs in both Ohio and upstate New York. In the 20+ years that followed, worked as a victim advocate within adult and juvenile corrections, providing services to crime survivors of all crimes regarding post-conviction issues in Ohio. Ho joined the South Carolina Department of Corrections in 2016 as the Division Director of Victim Services. Karin was instrumental in implementing the post critical incident seminar process within corrections in South Carolina, which assists employees experiencing long-term effects of critical events.

• Melissa Camp
  Director of Clinical Operations, Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness, Charleston, SC

  Prior to her current role, Melissa worked as the Director for Behavioral Health Services at Colleton Medical Center (CMC) since Jan 2019. She also worked for 16 years with the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center, where her roles included managing emergency mental health services, to include the Assessment Mobile Crisis team and the Tri-County Crisis Stabilization Center in Charleston, SC. Melissa has provided trainings and presentations to community partners on issues such as verbal de-escalation, mental health crisis assessments and safety planning, Borderline Personality Disorder, crisis negotiation, and Crisis Intervention Team for law enforcement. She has also been involved with providing EMDR to First Responders for treatment of trauma through the SC Law Enforcement Assistance Program and SC Department of Corrections at Post-Critical Incident Seminars. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in South Carolina.

Who do I Contact for More Information?

• Content Contact
  Dr. Dena M. Owens
  Correctional Program Specialist, Prisons Division, NIC
  Presenter Bio & Description
• Content Contact
  Belinda D. Stewart
  Correctional Program Specialist, Prisons Division, NIC
  Presenter Bio & Description
• Webinar Technical Contact
  Archie Weatherspoon IV
  Correctional Program Specialist, Academy Division, NIC
  Presenter Bio & Description

How Do I Participate Effectively In a WebEx Event Center Webinar? How Do I Get Ready?

For the best experience in your next NIC WebEx Event Center webinar, you’ll need a hands-free telephone, headset or earbuds, and an internet-enabled computer. For optimum learning, be in a quiet place, free from distractions / interruptions, sight-and-sound separated from others, where you can concentrate on what is happening during the webinar. A separate office space with a door to close is an ideal setting. Connect to the webinar audio bridge via a hands-free telephone, using earbuds/headset connected to your phone/cell phone, so your hands are free to interact with your keyboard.

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NIC strongly recommends consulting with your agency/local IT, as you may encounter pop-up blocking and/or firewall issues that block the NIC Webex webinar URL.

A recording of this webinar and the presentation slides will be available @ https://nicic.gov/webinars-broadcasts. Registered participants will receive an email notification when it becomes available.

Click https://nicic.gov/webinar-vilt-readiness for further information on NIC’s live webinars, including how to obtain training credit from your agency (cost = free!) and much more!