September 9-11, 2018

Conference Program

Welcome to the

2018 PEER SUPPORT CONFERENCE

Special Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor

IowaPSF@gmail.com www.peersupportfoundation.org

Silver Sponsors

Mills Civic, WDM, IA

DMACC, Serve Credit Union, Agility Chiropractic, Ankeny Police Department, Central State Bank, Freedom Tire,

5.11, Mills Fleet Farm, ThinBlueLineUSA, Wine Styles, Chase Graphics

Other Sponsors

Monday Morning: 0800-0830 Honor Guard and Opening Ceremony 0830-1000 Keynote Speaker -Melvin Allick II

Lunch Provided by the Peer Support Foundation

Monday Afternoon:

Monday Evening:

1800-2200 Dinner—BBQ Sponsored by HyVee, Mills Civic Parkway, WDM, IA followed by hospitality in the Crossing Lounge

Comedian: Officer Sean O’Neill

Conference Training Schedule:

Sunday Evening 1600 hours-1730 hours: Yearly Board Meeting 1900 hours-2200 hours: Welcome and Hospitality Reception -Sponsored by RACOM

Track B 1300-1445 Assisting Individuals in Crisis—ICISF Course Day 1 of 2 1445-1515 Break/Exhibitor Hall 1515-1700 Assisting Individuals in Crisis—ICISF Course Day 1 of 2

Track A 1300-1350 Session 3- Developing and

Maintaining a Peer Support Team – Deputy Jason Grubbs

1400 -1445 Session 4 Financial/

Retirement- Joel Hall, Guide Financial Group

1445-1515 Break/Exhibitor Hall 1515-1700 Session 5– The Science of

Dreaming and Memory – Dr. Paul Ascheman

Track A 1000-1030 Break/Exhibitor Hall 1030-1120 Session 1- Emotional Survivability -Sgt. Jessica Jensen 1130-1200 Session 2 - Yoga for First Responders – Olivia Kvitne

Track B 1000-1030 Break/Exhibitor Hall 1030-1200 Assisting Individuals in Crisis—ICISF Course Day 1 of 2

Tuesday Morning:

Lunch Provided by the Peer Support Foundation

Tuesday Afternoon:

Closing Ceremonies

1500-1530 Closing Speaker—Major Leonard Murray, Retired Des Moines Police 1530-1600 Retirement of Colors - Iowa Department of Transportation Honor Guard

End of Conference– See you next year!!!

Conference Training Schedule:

Track B 0800-1000 Assisting Individuals in Crisis—ICISF Course Day 2 of 2 1000-1030 Break/Exhibitor Hall 1030-1130 Assisting Individuals in Crisis—ICISF Course Day 2 of 2 1130-1200 Sponsor Presentation - UCS Healthcare

Track A 0800-1000 Session 6– Call for Back

up – David Edwards 1000-1030 Break/Exhibitor Hall 1030-1130 Session 7– Helping Supporting Families - Tracy Keninger 1130-1200 Sponsor Presentation - UCS Healthcare

Track B 1300-1430 Assisting Individuals in Crisis—ICISF Course Day 2 of 2 1430-1500 Break

Track A 1300-1430 Session 8- Resolving Dilemmas—Chief Scott and Chief McDaniel. 1430-1500 Break

Keynote Speaker (90 minutes) - Melvin Allick II Texas Department of Public Safety

Melvin Allick II is currently a Lieutenant serving with the Texas Department of Public Safe-ty, Highway Patrol Recruiting Service. Prior to joining his agency in 2008 he served as a Marine Corps Reserve Infantryman, an Air Force Pararescueman (PJ) and an elementary school teacher. Drawn from his personal experiences in the military and on patrol in 2014, he co-developed the SHIELD seminar, law enforcement resilience program. His dedication to assisting officers maintain their marriages, careers, and avoid substance-abuse has afforded him to reach thousands across the nation with his unique and pas-sionate message of hope. He is currently stationed in Austin, TX. and has obtained his Master of Public Affairs Degree from the University of Texas, LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Emotional Survivability (60 min) Presented By: Sergeant Jessica Jensen, Johnston Police Department

This session will discuss managing and addressing cumulative stress from daily exposures to trauma and effects of adrenaline. We will also discuss hypervigilance, the effects of the hyper-vigilance rollercoaster, and its long-term effects. The class will present a multi-faceted peer-based approach to building resilience though personal wellness, healthy relationships, and ag-gressive time management between personal and professional life.

Yoga for First Responders (30 min) —Olivia Kvitne

Yoga for First Responders (YFFR) was created by Olivia Kvitne, a yoga instructor and published journalist who first offered trauma-sensitive yoga and resiliency training to the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department after having worked with veterans and military. YFFR roots itself in the foundation of Trauma-

Sensitive Yoga and mindfulness while adding the element of physical challenges paired with mental training.

Developing and Maintaining a Peer Support Team – Presentation (60 min) - Presented By: Deputy Jason

Grubbs, Story County Sheriff’s Office

This course will discuss the purpose and benefits of peer support within the first responder com-munity. Strategies in gaining program approval from both agency administrators and line per-sonnel will be shared. The development and implementation of a peer support program policy will be discussed along with building a successful peer support team. Tactics in introducing agency staff to the concept of peer support and the efforts involved with maintaining a strong program will be covered.

Financial/Retirement (45 min) - Presented By Joel Hall with Guide Financial Group:

Financial stress is one of the most common types of stress experienced by first responders. Joel Hall is a former police officer in Ankeny, Iowa. He uses his experience as a police officer and combines it with his financial knowledge. This course is designed to help peer support team members assist individuals suffering from financial stress. It will discuss tools and re-sources that can be used to guide those in financial trouble.

The Science of Dreaming & Memory(90 min) - Presented By: Dr. Paul Ascheman, Psychology Associates

Dreams and memories about critical events or possible crisis scenarios can be confusing and dis-tressing. Police psychologist Paul Ascheman, PhD will demystify these experiences and help you understand the science behind these sometimes puzzling cognitive experiences. You will have answers to your questions like "Why can't I fire my pistol in a dream?" or "Why do I have the same dream over and over?" The association between these intrusive thoughts and the develop-ment and maintenance of posttraumatic stress will be discussed.

Conference Training Topic Descriptions

Conference Training Topic Descriptions

Suicide Awareness and Prevention(2 hours) - Presented by: David Edwards , CallForBackup

The #CallForBackup Suicide Awareness and Prevention Campaign is built upon the principle that peers are best suited to help one another. The stigma of seeking help for stress-related issues, and departments’ seeming lack of support, have caused many first responders to continue to suffer needlessly.

Our unique training program helps first responders understand how the stresses of the job impact them mentally, emotionally, physically, behaviorally, and spiritually, and also helps them see how cer-tain skills can make them more resistant to stress and more resilient when a major stressful event oc-curs. Most importantly, we teach them how important it is to look out for one another – to be the backup when someone needs it, and to call for backup for themselves when necessary.

Helping Support Families or Communications (60 min) - Presented by Tracy Kinenger, Easter Seals Iowa

This session will look at a healthy transition from work to home. Work as a first responder means 8 - 24 hours of active distrust and attempts at invulnerability. Home life is the opposite, requiring a great degree of trust and vulnerability. This class will explore ways in which the cu-mulative stress of the job affects our loved ones and how we can work to strengthen communi-cation and relationships at home.

Resolving Dilemmas (90 min) - Presented By: Chief Chris Scott and Chief Dennis McDaniel

This session will review possible dilemmas that peer support team members maybe confronted with during their time in the peer support role. This session will be taught be Chief Chris Scott of the West Des Moines Police Department and Chief Dennis McDaniel of the Johnston Police Department. Both instruc-tors bring invaluable experience in both peer support and the role of the ad-ministrator in peer support.

Assisting Individuals in Crisis (14 hours) - Presented By: Jeremy Sprague, Executive Director, PSF

This course is designed for anyone who desires to increase their knowledge of individual (one-on-one) crisis intervention techniques in the fields of Business & Industry, Crisis Intervention, Disaster Response, Education, Emergency Services, Employee Assistance, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Mental Health, Military, Spiritual Care, and Traumatic Stress. Crisis intervention is sometimes called “emotional first aid”. This program is designed to teach participants the fun-damentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention.

Closing Speaker—Retired Major Leonard (Len) Murray, Des Moines Police Department

Major Murray (Ret) spent 33 Years with the Des Moines Police Department working in various assignments and retiring as the Commander of the Homeland Security Bureau. He assisted in the development and establishment of the Des Moines Public Safety Peer Support Teams.

Major Murray also has 10 Years of Service with the Pleasant Hill Fire Department working as a Fire Fighter, Training Officer, Emergency Medical Technician and Fire Chief. Followed by 8 Years of Service on the Pleasant Hill City Council.

After 9/11, Major Murray was deployed to assist the New York City Police Department’s “Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance” (POPPA) as a member of the Central Iowa Red Cross Critical Incident Stress Man-agement Team. He has served on that team for 18 years.