Shared by Christina Weeter, KDE via KYSAFE ListServ

The Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (BHDID) and the Kentucky Department of Public Health (KDPH) announce this opportunity to participate in the Psychological First Aid for Schools Trainer Institute at no cost to eligible participants. The training will be held in person in Frankfort, Kentucky, May 23-24, 2024. Funding is available to provide overnight accommodations and lunches during the training for accepted participants.

The Psychological First Aid for Schools Trainer Institute is an opportunity for individuals to become an instructor of Psychological First Aid for Schools. The purpose of this institute is to train participants to teach Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) to individuals within their respective regions, school districts, schools, or community organizations. PFA-S is an evidence-informed modular approach to assist students, staff, and families in the aftermath of disasters, incidents of mass violence, and other emergencies to reduce initial distress and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning. PFA-S can be used by teachers, school staff, parents, or even teenagers. This program will require a pre-work phase and attending a two-day training on May 23th and 24th in Frankfort Kentucky.

Please see below for expectations of participants and preferred applicant eligibility criteria. If you are interested in applying for this program, please complete the following application by April 24th, 2024. Notifications of acceptance into the Trainer Institute will be made by May 1st, 2024.

Expectations of Participants

Participants will:

• Review of the PFA for Schools guide as part of the pre-work phase activities
• Attend and participate in both days of the training meeting
• Follow a standardized training protocol when delivering PFA-S training
• Conduct at least 2 trainings on PFA-S within one year of completing the training
• Report on the number of trainings delivered and participant evaluations of those trainings
• Read the PFA Facilitator’s Guide

Preferred Applicant Eligibility Criteria

• Familiarity with the PFA-S Field Operations Guide
• Knowledge of school emergency operations procedures
• At least 50 hours of crisis response experience
• Experience as a trainer or supervisor

If interested in participating in this training, complete the attached application and send to Amy Potts – amy.potts@ky.gov by April 24, 2024. Spaces are limited. Notifications of acceptance into the Trainer Institute will by made by May 1, 2024.

For more information on PFA for Schools, visit Psychological First Aid for Schools | The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (nctsn.org)

For any questions regarding the training institute, contact:

Amy Potts
Disaster Response Program Administrator
Mental Health Promotion, Prevention and Preparedness Branch
Dept for Behavioral Health, Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities
Cell: (502) 229-6439
amy.potts@ky.gov

Download application form