7 Hours / 7 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Critical Incident Response in Police and Public Safety Psychology is presented by Nancy K. Bohl-Penrod, Ph.D. and Jaime Brower, PsyD, ABPP, in partnership with The American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP).

Police and public safety responders, or “emergency responders,” as the name implies, are often faced with events that involve serious threats or losses and which may be outside the range of regular activity. The reactions to these events may elicit an intense emotional reaction, may require immense coping skills, and may be considered “traumatic.” Some of the events that may produce this type of response may include line-of-duty deaths or serious injuries, officer-involved shootings, calls involving child injury or death, and others where our responders felt helpless or unable to offer “enough” support. Moreover, those who experience post-incident emotions such as guilt and second-guessing, and fear of punishment/consequence, may also experience significant distress, though not “traumatic” in nature, which can also cause considerable pain for the responder and their families. 

This program covers these topics and delves into immediate, short-and, long-term, and family reactions to these types of events. This program also describes the various responses and interventions most utilized by police and public safety psychologists following critical incidents.

 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the various types of events that may be considered “critical”
  • 2 Describe general police and public safety experience during and following a critical event
  • 3 Describe the primary points and recommendations in The Office Involved Shooting Guidelines, developed by The Police Psychological Services Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (PPSS/IACP)
  • 4 Describe the various impacts that involvement in critical events may have on a responder’s family
  • 5 Describe multiple post-critical incident interventions

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health and allied professionals who work with, or are interested in working with, police officers, first responders, and public safety personnel. It is designed for those specializing in police and public safety psychology, with a focus on assessment, intervention, and support strategies following traumatic or high-stress incidents affecting officers and first responders.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Marriage and Family Therapist
    • Allied Mental Health Professional
    • Clinician working in or consulting with police and public safety agencies

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with varying levels of experience in police and public safety psychology and critical incident response.

    Beginner:
    New to working with police, public safety, or emergency responders; limited exposure to critical incident response or trauma interventions in these populations.

    Intermediate:
    Some experience providing services to emergency responders; familiar with general trauma concepts but seeking deeper understanding of responder-specific reactions, family impacts, and evidence-based interventions.

    Advanced:
    Extensive experience in police and public safety psychology; regularly involved in post-critical incident interventions, consultation, or program development; seeking advanced strategies and updates on best practices and guidelines.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this training typically work in environments where they provide psychological services, crisis intervention, and support to police officers, first responders, and public safety personnel. These settings often involve high-stress, unpredictable situations and require specialized knowledge of trauma, critical incident response, and the unique culture of emergency services. Practitioners may operate within police departments, fire stations, emergency medical services, public safety agencies, or as external consultants. They may also work in private practice, employee assistance programs, or hospital-based trauma teams, offering assessment, intervention, and ongoing support to responders and their families following critical or traumatic incidents.

    • Police department wellness or peer support units
    • Fire department behavioral health programs
    • Emergency medical services (EMS) agencies
    • Public safety or municipal employee assistance programs (EAPs)
    • Hospital-based trauma or crisis response teams
    • Private practice specializing in first responder mental health
    • Consulting roles with law enforcement or public safety agencies
    • Community mental health centers serving emergency responders and their families

Presented By

Jaime (Brower) Archuleta, PsyD, ABPP, Owner, Brower Psychological Services & Consulting

Dr. Jaime Brower is a licensed clinical psychologist working out of Denver, Colorado. She is American Board Certified as a specialist in the area of Police & Public Safety Psychology. Dr. Brower has devoted her career to working with those in law enforcement, corrections, detentions, fire, military, and other high stress occupations, as well as ensuring the health and wellbeing of their family members. She further specializes in risk and threat assessment, school violence and hostile workplace investigations. Dr. Brower is particularly passionate about training and consulting with agencies regarding best practices for enhancing resiliency and wellness.

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Jaime (Brower) Archuleta, PsyD, ABPP

Presented By

Nancy Bohl-Penrod, PhD, Psychotherapist and Trainer

Nancy Bohl-Penrod, Ph.D. is a Psychotherapist and trainer, who holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a Masters Degree in Counseling/Education. She is the Director of The Counseling Team International (TCTI), which is also, The Southern California Critical Incident Stress Management Team. She is a member of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and a certified Master Trainer for the QPR Institute focusing on Suicide Prevention and Intervention for first responders. She is also a certified trainer for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), ICEMA for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Peace Officer and Standard in Training (POST) and Standards and Training for Corrections (STC). She is an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Departments for Riverside and San Bernardino Valley Community Colleges. She has been a guest speaker for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academies and she was honored to present at the United Nations to their Security Police. She is one of the past Presidents of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Psychological Services Section,

View More Programs from this Presenter
Nancy Bohl-Penrod, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Post-incident emotions such as guilt and/or second-guessing and fear of punishment/consequences

  • Immediate, short-and, long-term, as well as family reactions to traumatic events

  • Responses and interventions utilized by police and public safety psychologists following critical incidents

We are proud to partner with

American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP)

American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP)

We are proud to partner with The American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) for this training. ABPPSP became a fully affiliated specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) on October 21, 2011. Police and Public Safety Psychology is concerned with assisting law enforcement and other public safety personnel and agencies in carrying out their missions and societal functions with optimal effectiveness, safety, health, and conformity to laws and ethics. It consists of the application of the science and profession of psychology in four primary domains of practice: assessment, clinical intervention, operational support, and organizational consultation.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.