Resilience First Aid Peer Support Certification helps you build a culture that protects your team through advanced prevention training with measurable impact
Aquatics leaders play a key role in shaping a culture where psychological well-being is valued alongside physical skill, judgment, and performance under pressure.
Why Resilience Matters in Aquatics?
Lifeguards face unique pressures:
High resilience safeguards mental health, protecting readiness and performance.
Resilience First Aid Quick Facts
- 100,000+ people trained
- 5x lower risk of depression & anxiety
- 25% higher resilience in 6 months
- 33% higher suicide prevention skills
- 2x stronger team connection
- 6x lower emotional vulnerability
Proven results that reduce burnout, protect mental health, and strengthen operational effectiveness.
RESILIENCE FIRST AID PEER SUPPORT CERTIFICATION
Delivery Format: Blended Virtual Learning
Proven program to build peer support and improve resilience.
Resilience First Aid (RFA) Peer Support Certification shifts mental health from reactive treatment to proactive prevention. RFA equips people with the skills and language to support each other, lift resilience, and reduce risk before problems escalate.
Audience: Lifeguard Instructors, Lifeguard Supervisors, Aquatic Managers and Peer Support Volunteers.
- Peer-reviewed & accredited – recognized 3-year certification
- Train resilience champions who know what protects mental health
- Safeguard Employee Mental Health: Learn how to foster a culture that is more resistant to the effects of critical incident stress
- Practical peer support skills – proactive conversations, spotting risk, referral skills
- Impact measurement with pre & post assessment
- Become certified as a Resilience First Aid Responder in your aquatic workplace
De-escalation Training for Aquatic Leaders
Delivery Format: Live Instructor-Led (In-Person or Virtual)
Aquatic professionals regularly interact with patrons and staff in high-energy, high stakes environments—where emotional responses can escalate quickly. From enforcing policies to navigating emotionally charged incidents, de-escalation is a vital skill for any aquatic leader. This training delivers practical, scenario-based strategies tailored to the aquatic setting, focusing on early intervention, stress response, and trauma-informed care. Participants will explore the psychology behind escalation, gain tools for regulating their own response under pressure, and practice de-escalation approaches specific to poolside, facility, and recreation scenarios. Whether managing a frustrated parent, responding to an incident, or supporting a distressed team member, this course will prepare aquatic professionals to respond with clarity, empathy, and confidence.
- Upcoming Courses: February 19th 1:30pm – 5:30pm (mountain time)
- Post Conference Session – International Aquatics & Water Safety Conference & Exposition, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO
- To Register go to the Register Now page and click on the appropriate tickets.
CISM for Aquatic First Responders
Delivery Format: Live Instructor-Led (Virtual options launching late 2026)
ICISF Critical Incident Stress Management for Aquatic First Responders
Important Note:
- This course is currently only available to organizations participating in the ILCIRA United States CISM Pilot Program Research Study
- Ellis & Associates / StarGuard Elite Clients: For more information on participating in the United States CISM Pilot Program Research Study, please email us at info@ilcira.org
- Those that successfully complete this course are onboarded to the ILCIRA Aquatic Critical Incident Response Team and may respond to critical incidents at facilities participating in the CISM Pilot Research Study or with future ILCIRA Member Organizations.
Prerequisites:
- Comprehensive Background Check cleared before training
- Abuse Prevention Training
- Completed Aquatic Critical Incident Response Team (AqCIRT) Onboarding Forms
- Must work for an ILCIRA Member Organization or participating in the CISM Pilot Research Study
Course Overview:
This course is designed to equip participants with the tools to support peers through traumatic events and mental health challenges in the workplace. The course follows the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) model for Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), specifically tailored
Topics Include:
Psychological crisis & psychological crisis intervention
Stress management awareness though the John Hopkins Model of resistance, resiliency and recovery continuum
Critical Incident Stress Management interventions
Group Crisis Intervention:
Crisis Management Briefings (CMB)
Defusing
Post Action Staff Support (PASS)
Individual Crisis Intervention:
Buddy Well Checks
Healing Conversations
Follow up:
Referral options
Higher levels of Peer Support available within the AqCIRT Team Leadership
CISM Overview for Aquatic Leaders
Delivery Format: Live Instructor Led (In Person or Virtual)
Audience: Aquatic Supervisors, Managers, Directors, Senior Lifeguards, Safety Managers
Course Description:
Critical Incident Stress Management Overview for Aquatic Leaders is a focused, two-hour professional development course designed to help aquatic managers integrate a comprehensive Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Plan into their facility’s Emergency Action Plan (EAP). This course may be delivered in person, virtually, or you may take this within the Association of Aquatic Professionals (AOAP) Directors’ School – Year 3 curriculum. It provides practical tools and leadership strategies that protect the psychological health and operational readiness of aquatic professionals.
Participants will learn how to identify aquatic incidents likely to produce critical incident stress, understand protective factors that strengthen lifeguard resilience, and mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of traumatic events. The course also covers how to activate CISM services—through internal response teams, external resources, or regional crisis partners—and clarifies leadership responsibilities for guiding staff toward recovery.
By the end of this workshop, aquatic leaders will be equipped with the foundational knowledge and actionable steps needed to build a psychologically safe workplace and provide competent, compassionate leadership following a critical incident.
Topics Covered
- Understanding Critical Incident Stress in Aquatic Settings
Identifying the types of events most likely to cause acute stress reactions and early signs to watch for in staff.
- Protective Factors for Lifeguard Mental Health
Strategies to build resilience, psychological preparedness, and a supportive team culture.
- OSHA/NIOSH Recommended Mitigation Strategies
Industry aligned guidance for prevention, post incident support, and reducing organizational stress impacts.
- Activating Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Services
How to coordinate internal/external resources, CISM teams, Employee Assistance Programs and community partners.
- Resilient Leadership Principles
Leadership behaviors that promote calm, clarity, and confidence before, during, and after critical incidents.
- Aquatic Leader Roles & Responsibilities in Staff Recovery
Integrating CISM into an EAP, managing communication, ensuring follow-through, and supporting staff return to work and long-term wellbeing.
Important Note: This course does not qualify participants to deliver Critical Incident Stress Management Services. Critical Incident Stress Management should be provided as apart of a continuum of care, only by those qualified to do so.
Suicide Prevention
Delivery Format: Live Instructor Led (In-Person or Virtual)
QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training
What Does QPR Mean?
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer
What is a Gatekeeper?
A gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and the warning signs that someone might be contemplating suicide. Gatekeepers can be anyone, but often include coworkers, friends, supervisors, first responders, police officers and Fire/EMS.
QPR Program
The mission of Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is to save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors by providing evidence-based suicide prevention training. Knowing how to address this sensitive issue can empower individuals to reach out and help someone in need. Just like CPR and the Heimlich maneuver have saved thousands of lives each year, learning to recognize the warning signs of suicide and knowing the steps of QPR may save a life of a friend, coworker, family member, or neighbor.
Developed by the QPR Institute, this two-hour training is designed for all people, regardless of their background, who are concerned about helping others with mental health and substance use challenges. QPR is an emergency mental health intervention for persons at risk of suicide. Training participants will learn skills to identify and interrupt a crisis and direct someone to proper care.
In this workshop, you will learn to:
- Recognize the warning signs of suicidal thoughts and behaviors
- Ask direct or less direct questions about how someone is feeling
- Practice active listening
- Persuade someone to seek professional help
- Refer someone to appropriate help
QPR is one of the most widely distributed suicide gatekeeper trainings in the world and is listed in the US National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.
Assisting Individuals in Crisis
Delivery Format: Virtual
Audience: ILCIRA leadership volunteers as a part of our foundational training track (AqCIRT leadership course 1 of 3). Non-ILCIRA affiliated students will be considered on a case-by-case basis by contacting info@ilcira.org.
Course Description: Crisis Intervention is NOT psychotherapy; rather, it is a specialized acute emergency mental health intervention which requires specialized training. As physical first aid is to surgery, crisis intervention is to psychotherapy. Thus, crisis intervention is sometimes called “emotional first aid”. This program is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual crisis intervention. 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.
Learning Objectives:
- Psychological crisis and psychological crisis intervention
- Resistance, resiliency, recovery continuum
- Critical incident stress management
- Evidence-based practice
- Basic crisis communication techniques
- Common psychological and behavioral crisis reactions
- Putative and empirically-derived mechanisms
- SAFER-Revised model
- Suicide intervention
- Risks of iatrogenic “harm”
Certificates and Continuing Education:
General Contact Hours:
Two-Day Course; 13 Contact Hours: 1.3 General CEUs from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Dept. of Emergency Health Services Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). Based on a formula of 1 Continuing Education Unit for every 10 contact/classroom hours.
ICISF Certificate of Completion:
After the completion of this ICISF course, with verified full attendance, participants are eligible to receive an electronic ICISF Certificate of Completion including General Continuing Education Units. Participants are required to complete a course evaluation prior to receiving this Certificate of Completion.
Completion of ICISF courses and receipt of an ICISF Certificate of Completion does not attest to competence in the field, nor does it provide certification in the field of CISM.
Profession Specific CEUs:
If you are seeking continuing education requirements for a specific profession, contacting the relevant state licensing board is the best way to ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate information. They can provide you with specific details regarding whether a certificate of completion from a particular course or program will be accepted towards your continuing education requirements.
Group Crisis Intervention
Delivery Format: Virtual
Audience: ILCIRA leadership volunteers as a part of our foundational training track (AqCIRT leadership course 2 of 3). Non-ILCIRA affiliated students may be considered on a case-by-case basis by contacting info@ilcira.org, prior to enrolling.
Course Description: Designed to present the core elements of a comprehensive, systematic and multi-component crisis intervention curriculum, the Group Crisis Intervention course will prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services. Fundamentals of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) will be outlined and participants will leave with the knowledge and tools to provide several group crisis interventions, specifically demobilizations, defusings and the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). The need for appropriate follow-up services and referrals when necessary will also be discussed.
This course is designed for anyone 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.
Learning Objectives:
- Relevant research findings
- Relevant recommendations for practice
- Incident assessment
- Strategic intervention planning
- “Resistance, resilience, recovery” continuum
- Large group crisis interventions
- Small group crisis interventions
- Adverse outcome associated with crisis intervention
- Reducing risks
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) – Not used within ILCIRA’s program but taught as a part of the overall ICISF CISM Continuum of Care.
Certificates and Continuing Education:
General Contact Hours:
Two-Day Course; 14 Contact Hours: 1.4 General CEUs from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Dept. of Emergency Health Services Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). Based on a formula of 1 Continuing Education Unit for every 10 contact/classroom hours.
ICISF Certificate of Completion:
After the completion of this ICISF course, with verified full attendance, participants are eligible to receive an electronic ICISF Certificate of Completion including General Continuing Education Units. Participants are required to complete a course evaluation prior to receiving this Certificate of Completion.
Completion of ICISF courses and receipt of an ICISF Certificate of Completion does not attest to competence in the field, nor does it provide certification in the field of CISM.
Profession Specific CEUs:
If you are seeking continuing education requirements for a specific profession, contacting the relevant state licensing board is the best way to ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate information. They can provide you with specific details regarding whether a Certificate of Completion from a particular course or program will be accepted towards your continuing education requirements.
