CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training

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Module 3

CCP Trainer’s Guide

Crisis Counseling Assistance 

and Training Program

Regular Services Program 

(RSP) Midprogram Training
CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training

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How to Use This Trainer’s Guide

This trainer’s guide contains a suggested schedule and learning activities for delivering the required 

Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) Regular Services Program (RSP) 

Midprogram Training. This training is focused on helping CCP leadership and staff to reflect on 

what has been accomplished during the RSP to date, identify next steps, and begin to prepare for 

phasedown.

Trainers are encouraged to adapt and modify how they deliver the course to meet the needs of the 

specific program, audience, and circumstances, while keeping to the established course purpose 

and learning objectives. For example, the time available and the number of participants are two 

factors that would impact how the course is delivered.

This trainer’s guide presents a detailed plan of instruction for a 1-day course. The agendas assume 

an 81⁄2-hour training day, including 15-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon, and 1 hour for 

lunch.

The activities and timing of this design are intended for a group of about 25 participants. If the 

group is smaller, the activities and group discussions may take less time than indicated in this plan 

of instruction. If the group is larger than 25, you will need to modify the activities in order to fit the 

time available. For example, when a table exercise is indicated in the design, with reports from each 

table, you may want to have the participants work in trios and take a few examples to process in the 

large group, rather than asking all of the small groups to give reports.

The trainer’s guide provides detailed instructions for suggested talking points and group exercises. 

It contains images of all slides. If you wish to print the slides out separately, you can do so directly 

from the PowerPoint file on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

(SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) website in the CCP Toolkit found at the 

following location: https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/ccp-toolkit/train-your-ccp-staff.

The CCP RSP Midprogram Training Participant Workbook contains all the essential content from 

the slides that participants should have as reference material, along with worksheets tailored to the 

learning activities described in this trainer’s guide. The CCP RSP Midprogram Training Participant 

Workbook and the CCP RSP Midprogram Training Presentation are both available on the SAMHSA 

DTAC website, along with this Trainer’s Guide. It is suggested that the CCP Participant Workbook

be reproduced on three-hole-punch paper and provided to participants in a three-ring binder.

Rev. X/2023
CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training

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CCP Trainer’s Guide

RSP Midprogram Training

Table of Contents

How to Use This Trainer’s Guide ..................................................................2

Pre-training Checklist ...................................................................................4

Welcome and Introductions ................................................................7

Section 1: Program Assessment ........................................................10

Section 2: Individual, Community, and Staff Needs ...............................14

Section 3: Crisis Counseling Services and Skills ..................................20

Section 4: Program Management ......................................................34

Section 5: Stress Management .........................................................39

Applying Your Learning and Course Evaluation ...................................42
CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training 

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Pre-training Checklist 

Prior to the course, contact the CCP program manager to discuss the items below: 

Disaster Specifics

□ Type of disaster 

□ Size and scope of disaster 

□ Unique dynamics of the disaster

□ Population affected, including special populations and cultural factors

Program Data 

□ RSP start and end dates and disaster anniversary date 

□ Size of program—number of providers and counselors, status of recruitment 

□ Background and experience of counselors:

− Ask the program manager about the strengths and needs of the staff in order to tailor 

 the training appropriately. 

□ Current status of service provision: 

− Ask about the status of group counseling to determine which of the two recommended

 group counseling-related activities to do during the training. 

− Ask whether to focus the community networking activity on anniversary or phasedown 

 preparation. 

□ Request a copy of key program documents:

− Summary of data on service provision to date

□ RSP application: 

− Current Needs Assessment

− Current Outreach Strategy/Plan of Services

− Current Staffing Plan/Organizational Chart

− Maps of the disaster impact

□ Ask the program manager to be prepared to answer questions about the program’s 

 assessment and referral protocols, specifically those for someone in crisis.
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Course Logistics 

□ Number of participants:

− Encourage the program manager to attend the entire training.

− Make sure any new program staff who didn’t attend the Core Content and Transition to

 RSP Trainings attend this training and get a copy of the participant workbooks for the 

 Core Content and Transition to RSP Trainings. 

□ Determine whether other community representatives would benefit from attending the training.

□ Confirm length of course and start/end times.

□ Location and training facility—training room size and setup 

□ Audiovisual support—LCD, computer, easel stands, and tear sheets

□ Name tags, markers, etc.

□ Reproduce the CCP RSP Midprogram Training Participant Workbook and other materials 

 (handouts of program documents, CCP Job Aid for Crisis Counselors, etc.) 

− Modify RSP Midprogram Participant Workbook, if desired/necessary. 

Travel Logistics 

□ Flight recommendations 

□ Lodging recommendations 

□ Reimbursement procedure 

Other Items 

□ Review the training agenda and activities with the program manager. 

□ Agree how the staff input generated through the training activities will be captured and 

 transferred to the program manager. 

□ Familiarize yourself with the CCP Toolkit on the SAMHSA DTAC website in the event that you 

 need to reference CCP trainings, tools, and resources (https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/ccp-toolkit). 

Post-training 

□ Make recommendations to the program manager about post-training follow-up—e.g., 

 subsequent meetings, training, other actions. 

□ Submit completed participant evaluations and trainer feedback form to the Substance Abuse 

 and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center 

 (DTAC). Participant evaluation forms are included in the RSP Midprogram Participant 

 Workbook, and the trainer feedback form appears at the end of this trainer’s guide.
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Recommended Agenda 

RSP Midprogram Training—1 Day

8:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

9 a.m. Section 1: Program Assessment

9:45 a.m. Section 2: Individual, Community, 

and Staff Needs 

10 a.m. Break

10:15 a.m. Section 2 (cont.)

11:15 a.m. Section 3: Crisis Counseling 

Services and Skills 

12:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 p.m. Section 3 (cont.)

2:45 p.m. Break

3 p.m. Section 3 (cont.)

3:30 p.m. Section 4: Program Management

4 p.m. Section 5: Stress Management

4:45 p.m. Applying Your Learning and Course 

Evaluation 

5 p.m. Adjourn
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Begin the course by welcoming participants and introducing 

yourself.

Ask participants to introduce themselves by sharing the 

following:

• Their names

• Their role or position in the CCP

• Something they’ve done that they think no one else here 

has done

During the introductions, if someone else in the room has 

done what the person introducing him- or herself has done, 

then the participant must state something else until he or she 

finds something no one else has done. Once this has been 

achieved, wait for further instructions.

Review objectives of the course. Note that the course 

agenda and objectives appear in the workbook.

Objectives—By the end of the course, participants will be 

able to do the following:

• Recognize program successes and challenges.

• Identify the current needs of survivors, the community, 

and staff.

• Identify current service needs, and utilize appropriate 

skills.

• Identify effective approaches to program management.

• Apply techniques for managing stress.

 15 minutes Course Objectives, Agenda, and Norms

Welcome and Introductions (30 minutes)

 15 minutes Welcome and Introduction
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Review the course schedule, and discuss how the objectives 

will be addressed during the training.

Be sure to cover logistical details, such as the following:

• Lunch and break times and locations

• Restroom locations

• Time (follow clock in the room)

• Include any special instructions for virtual training, if 

applicable

• Address safety protocols, such as physical distancing, 

and building evacuation routes

Pause and ask for participants’ reactions or questions, 

and ask whether they feel there is anything missing from this 

program.

Introduce the CCP RSP Midprogram Participant Workbook, 

and describe how it will be used during the course. Highlight 

the following:

• Keep time (start on time, return from breaks on time, 

end on time).

• Switch mobile phones off or to “vibrate.”

• Participate fully.

• Ask questions freely.

• Balance talking and listening.

• Respect each other’s points of view.

• Use “person-first” language, i.e., “person with a 

disability.”

Ask the participants to decide together on the following:

• If there are any guidelines they would like to modify

• If there are any guidelines to add

Emphasize the organizing theme of this course is to reflect 

on what has been accomplished during the RSP to date, 

identify next steps, and begin to think about phasedown.
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Write any additional guidelines on the tear sheet, and check 

to see if everyone in the room can agree to the list. You can 

keep it light by asking them to shake hands with someone at 

their table to signify agreement with this “social contract.”

Warmly welcome the participants again, and jump into the 

content of the course!
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Section 1: Program Assessment (45 minutes)

 5 minutes Session Introduction

Introduce this session by telling participants that we’re 

going to start our work together today by taking stock of the 

program’s successes and challenges to date in a way that’s 

fun and creative.

Review the session objective:

• Recognize program successes and challenges.

Explain that we’re going to create a mural that shows the 

program’s successes and challenges over time.

Preparation

Create a timeline along the wall using tear sheets. Tape tear 

sheets on the wall, end to end, and draw a timeline across the 

center of each page, from left to right. Start the timeline with 

the disaster, and mark the months up to the present time.

Write “Successes” on the top center of the page. Write 

“Challenges” on the bottom center. When the participants draw 

on the mural, they will draw successes above the timeline and 

challenges below the timeline.

 40 minutes Program Successes and Challenges Mural

Successes

Challenges

Disaster Present Time
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Task

Have participants reflect individually on the successes and 

challenges the program has faced to date. (5 minutes)

Divide the participants into groups along functional and 

geographic roles and responsibilities. For example—have the 

program management team members form one group, the 

administrative team members form another group, and crisis 

counselors form geographic groups based on their area of 

responsibility.

If the program has a small staff, you may want to have mixed 

groups with program staff (administration, finance, etc.) 

integrated with crisis counseling staff.

Have participants share their reflections on successes and 

challenges in their group. They should come to agreement on 

two or three successes and two or three challenges and draw 

them on the timeline on the wall. They can use a combination 

of drawings and words, if they’d like. (15 minutes)

Once all the groups have finished, have the participants 

stand in front of the mural they have created. Ask each group 

to tell the story behind the drawings they have made. (15 

minutes)

Summarize the discussion, and explain that this mural they’ve 

created is a common starting point for us to continue our work 

today as a group. We will use this foundation of what they’ve 

accomplished and struggled with as we collectively strategize 

about where the program needs to go from here and how to 

get there. (5 minutes)

Transition to the next lesson on using program data.
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Review the definition of program evaluation, and discuss the 

various aspects of the data collection and program evaluation 

process. 

Program evaluation is a systematic effort to collect, analyze, 

and use data to inform and improve service delivery. 

• Data collection: A process of gathering information 

about survivors and services. 

• Data analysis: A process of reviewing and interpreting 

the information that has been collected. 

• Feedback loop: A process of sharing findings from the 

analysis and developing a strategy to address them. 

• Program evaluation plan: A plan for how you will monitor 

and evaluate your program service delivery to assess 

improvements and support decision making.

Discuss the role of the CCP staff in data collection and 

program evaluation. Explain that there is more to the data than 

them just entering it into ODCES. All staff should be aware of 

and involved in all steps in the process.

• Data Collection

- Challenges with using the data systems?

• Data Analysis

- What has the data shown? What is missing 

 from the data?

• Feedback Loop

- How has data been used so far?

• Program Evaluation Plan

- Who is responsible?

Suggested talking points: 

• How to improve the reach of the service delivery 

system or how to improve the efficacy of the services 

themselves, using program evaluation to provide a datadriven basis for the actions. 

• Data collection is performed by the crisis counselors 

while data analysis is performed by program managers. 
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Activity: (For this activity the instructor must prepare by getting 

the needs assessment and recent demographic data reports 

from the program manager ahead of the training. The reports 

should show the specific program data along broad categories 

like basic demographics of their survivors and the split of 

services. The trainer should be prepared to share/display them 

during the activity.)

Use data from program and original needs assessment to 

compare what was predicted and what is happening. 

As a large group, review the data and discuss the following 

questions:

• What populations have been reached?

• Which parts of the community under-reached/not yet 

reached?

• What is working best for the program?

• What are the biggest challenges?

• What changes should be made based on what the data 

shows?

Ask for the group to brainstorm why the actual data differs 

from the original needs assessment, and what should be 

changed at this point in the program to better address the 

community’s needs. 

Ask them to share specific challenges that they have 

experienced so far in the program. How have those challenges 

affected the program overall (as shown by the data)?

Conclude this section and mention that we will discuss data 

collection and evaluation again later in the training. We will 

now move into talking about individual, community and staff 

needs.

 15 minutes Program Data Activity

• The feedback loop is performed by program managers 

with input from the crisis counselors. 

• The program evaluation plan is implemented by the 

crisis counselors and team leaders and monitored by 

the program managers.
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Section 2: Individual, Community, and Staff Needs 

(3 hour, 45 minutes)

 5 minutes Session Introduction

Introduce this session by explaining that we’re going to 

build upon our shared understanding of the program’s history 

now by looking at the current state of needs for individuals, 

communities, and the CCP staff.

Review the session objective:

• Identify the current needs of survivors, the community, 

and staff.

Explain that in order to understand current needs, it’s 

important to know what phase of the disaster and recovery the 

community is in.

Review the phases of disaster graph (see suggested talking 

points below).

Ask participants what phase the community is in right now. 

What effect does the current phase of disaster have on 

individuals, the community, and staff?

Suggested talking points:

• This graph is a simple model of the community (rather 

than individual) reactions to disaster.

• A CCP is a year or longer in duration. It is “more of a 

marathon than a sprint.”

• Communities progress through these phases at different 

rates, depending on the type of disaster and the degree 

of exposure. They may also move back and forth 

between phases.

 10 minutes Phases of Disaster
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• The Chronic Cyclical Disaster Model is a newer 

approach which considers multiple or overlapping 

disasters. An infographic is available here: https://

chroniccyclicaldisasters.info.

• Crisis counseling interventions need to be adapted to 

the phase of the disaster response. Data can inform 

where certain groups/communities might be in the 

phases.

• This diagram identifies processes and events in 

addition to the main phases of disaster.

• Inventory is the process by which communities and 

individuals come to realize the limits of disaster 

assistance. This usually begins later in the honeymoon 

phase and causes the decline into the disillusionment 

phase.

• Trigger events can happen in any phase following 

the onset of a disaster but are more typical in the 

later phases—after the reality of the initial traumatic 

event has set in. Trigger events vary by disaster, 

community, and individual, but some trigger events 

can be predicted. For example, upsetting reports in the 

media about survivors’ suffering or shortcomings in the 

disaster response can increase stress in individuals 

and communities.

• Anniversary reactions are often responses to trigger 

events that occur around the anniversary of the 

disaster event. While each disaster is different, 

experience with past disasters has shown that disaster 

event anniversaries are often accompanied by painful 

memories and potentially stressful media, political, 

and community attention. Some of these reactions are 

predictable and can be planned for.

• Working through grief is the process of coming to terms 

with disaster losses, developing constructive coping 

strategies, and building a new post-disaster life. This 

process can sometimes take years.

• Setbacks are trigger events in the reconstruction 

phase—e.g., recurrence of disaster or media coverage 

of new and painful discoveries related to the disaster. 

A community’s sense of recovery—of having come to 

terms with the disaster—can be damaged by these 

unexpected setbacks.
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Discuss the characteristics of the disillusionment and 

reconstruction phases.

Ask—Does this match with what you’re seeing? With what 

you expect to see in the next phase?

Suggested talking points:

• The RSP Midprogram Training usually falls near the 

disillusionment phase of the disaster. The issues related 

to disillusionment affect the CCP staff, the community, 

and the survivors. Therefore, these issues must be 

addressed at all three of these levels in order to 

effectively move to the next stage of the CCP.

• Challenges of the disillusionment phase:

• Stress and fatigue take a toll.

• Optimism turns into discouragement.

• There may be an increased need for substance use 

services.

• The larger community returns to business as usual.

• The CCP may have an increased demand for 

services as individuals and communities become 

ready to accept support.

• Reality of losses sets in.

• Diminishing assistance leads to feelings of 

abandonment.

• Reconstruction phase:

• Individuals and communities begin to assume 

responsibility for rebuilding their lives.

• People begin to adjust to new circumstances.

• There is recognition of growth and opportunity.

• The reconstruction process may continue for years.

• People adjust to a new “normal” while continuing to 

grieve losses.

Give the participants a 15-minute break before proceeding to 

the next segment on identifying current needs.
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Say that with a better understanding of the current and 

anticipated phases the community will be experiencing, we’ll 

now explore the implications for individuals, communities, and 

staff. Refer the group back to the data review and the mural 

as a starting point. 

Explain that in order to cover the most ground in the shortest 

amount of time, we’ll be dividing into three working groups to 

look at the specific needs of each of those groups.

Divide participants into three working groups, corresponding 

to the following focus areas: individual needs, community 

needs, and staff needs. Ask them to choose the group that 

matches the topic in which they are most interested. Adjust

the group sizes as needed so that you have a relatively similar 

number of participants in each of the three groups.

If you have a very large group, you may want to have more 

than three groups, e.g., two groups for each topic area.

Explain that in this session, they’ll be working in their groups 

to assess the current status of that group and identify unmet 

needs.

Tell the groups that they’ll have 20 minutes for their 

discussion and that they should prepare to present their 

recommendations for future directions to the large group.

Individual Needs Questions

• What is the status of:

• Populations targeted and reached?

• Survivor needs and challenges?

• Program data analysis and feedback process?

• Available resources and challenges?

• Long-term recovery committees?

• Where do we go from here?

 55 minutes Working Group Discussions

 15 minutes Break
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• Interpret program data with regard to individual 

needs.

• Identify populations needing to be reached.

• Plan to address survivor needs and challenges.

• Identify needed resources.

Community Needs Questions

• What is the status of:

• Community recovery?

• Communities targeted and reached?

• Program data analysis and feedback process?

• Community activities and events?

• Is anyone missing that needs to be brought to the table?

• Inclusion of community leaders and cultural brokers?

• Involvement of community organizations?

• Where do we go from here?

• Interpret program data with regard to community 

needs.

• Identify and address remaining community needs and 

challenges.

• Identify new ways to promote community recovery.

Staff Needs Questions 

How can staff needs be addressed in order to support the 

continued needs for individuals and the community? 

• What is the status of:

• Staff skills? What trainings are needed? 

• Staff resources? 

• Stress management for staff?

• What other supports are needed? 

• How can program data be used to address staff needs?

• What program management supports are needed?
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Facilitate the group presentations and discussion. (30 

minutes)

Summarize key points and action items after each 

presentation.

Wrap up the session, and transition to the next section on 

crisis counseling skills.

You may want to give them a quick stretch break (5 minutes) 

before proceeding to the next session.
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Section 3: Crisis Counseling Services and Skills 

(4 hour, 15 minutes)

 5 minutes Session Introduction

Introduce this session by previewing what we’ll cover in this 

section.

Tell participants that we’ll do the following:

• Conduct a self-assessment of their crisis counseling 

skills.

• Identify strategies for strengthening group counseling 

services.

• Strategize around community networking.

• Check in on any challenges they’re facing in 

assessment and referral.

• Practice effective message delivery for public education.

Explain that we’ll cover individual/family and group 

counseling before lunch, and then the rest after lunch. (If you 

are following the one-day training schedule.)

Review the session objective.

• Identify current service needs, and utilize appropriate 

skills.

Start the session by discussing the reach of services diagram 

and the implications for services at midprogram.

Suggested talking points:

• This graphic illustrates the reach and intensity of crisis 

counseling services.

• Primary services involve interaction of crisis counselors 

and survivors.

• Secondary services involve dissemination of 

information.
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Discuss how the focus of crisis counseling services changes 

at midprogram, as well as the areas to which the program 

should be paying particular attention:

• Increase focus on group crisis counseling services, 

community support, networking, and public education.

• Continue individual/family crisis counseling and targeted 

outreach.

• Use data to adapt outreach strategies.

• Learn from challenges and strengthen crisis counseling 

skills.

• Facilitate referral of individuals and families to existing 

long-term community resources by utilizing the 

Assessment and Referral Tools.

• Build connections to community-based services that will 

continue after the CCP has ended.

• Face-to-face primary services should be the focus of the 

CCP.

• Lower-intensity services reach a larger number of 

people.

• It is important to emphasize that as the program moves 

into the RSP midprogram phase, individual/family crisis 

counseling sessions continue.

• It is important to canvass hard-hit areas for returnees or 

those now ready to accept services.

• Continue individual/family crisis counseling with those 

who have more intensive needs, and continue referrals.

• Group counseling increases during the RSP as 

individuals become ready for this approach and 

counselors identify groups of survivors with common 

needs, issues, and concerns.

• Community efforts are increased through outreach to 

schools, businesses, and community and faith-based 

organizations.

• Public education increases and messaging may shift.
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 30 minutes Crisis Counseling Services

Introduce the concepts of Psychological First Aid and Skills 

for Psychological Recovery:

• Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an online 

training from the National Child Traumatic 

Stress Network (NCTSN): https://www.nctsn.

org/treatments-and-practices/psychologicalfirst-aid-and-skills-for-psychological-recovery/

about-pfa.

• PFA (which was introduced in the Core Content 

Module) is designed to reduce the initial distress 

caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and 

long-term adaptive functioning and coping. PFA does 

not assume that all survivors will develop severe 

mental health problems or long-term difficulties in 

recovery. Instead, it is based on an understanding 

that disaster survivors and others affected by 

such events will experience a broad range of early 

reactions (e.g., physical, psychological, behavioral, 

spiritual). Some of these reactions will cause 

enough distress to interfere with adaptive coping, 

and recovery may be helped by support from 

compassionate and caring disaster responders.

• Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is an online or 

in-person training through the National Center for PTSD: 

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/continuing_ed/

skills_psychological_recovery.asp

• Intended for use in the weeks and months after a 

disaster event, SPR aims to help survivors gain 

skills to manage distress and cope with stress and 

adversity after disasters and mass violence events.

• SPR is a flexible, evidence-based model that 

helps providers teach core skills—problem-solving, 

behavioral activation, management of stress 

reactions, helpful thinking, and rebuilding healthy 

social connections—to help reduce distress and 

improve functioning.

Ask if the participants have taken these courses (or others that 

they would recommend) and how they have used these skills 

in their encounters with survivors.
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 30–40 minutes Group Crisis Counseling

Tell participants we want to check in with them about what’s 

working well for them personally in their provision of crisis 

counseling and what challenges they’re facing.

Ask them to complete the self-assessment of their strengths, 

skills, and challenges in their workbook. (5 minutes)

Have them discuss their self-assessment with a partner. (10 

minutes)

Facilitate a large-group discussion about their selfassessment results. (15 minutes)

• Take a few examples of strengths from participants, and 

ask them to share any specific examples or tips for the 

strengths they identified.

• Ask them for examples of the skills they use to facilitate 

role modeling, empowerment, etc.

• Spend the majority of the discussion time asking them 

about the challenges they are facing.

• Ask for examples of the challenges they identified. 

Check to see if the examples they give are common 

to other staff members. Ask what advice they have for 

addressing each challenge. Provide your own advice as 

well.

Transition to focus on group crisis counseling.

NOTE: For this segment of the course, you have two options 

for aspects of group crisis counseling to focus on:

• Option A: Strategies for finding, forming, and facilitating 

groups

• Option B: Managing challenges in group counseling

Choose which option to use based on what you learned about 

the current status of group counseling when talking with the 

program manager prior to the course. For example, if the 

program doesn’t have many groups and is having difficulty 

getting groups started, choose option A. If the program has 

a number of groups established, then choose option B. You 

might also want to poll the staff to find out which topic would 

be most helpful to them.
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For either option, refer back to the work previously done by 

group members and ask the group to begin their brainstorming 

based on the needs identified in the previous activity.

Option A: Strategies for Finding, Forming, and Facilitating 

Groups

• Divide participants into three or six groups (use three 

groups if the class size is about 15 participants; use six 

groups if the class includes 25 or more participants).

• Have the groups spread out in the room and gather 

around some blank tear sheets taped to the wall.

• Tell participants we’re going to do a quick 

brainstorming session on finding, forming, and 

facilitating groups.

• Remind participants of the four ground rules of 

brainstorming:

• Focus on quantity—the greater the number of ideas 

generated, the greater the chance of producing an 

outstanding idea.

• Withhold criticism—by suspending judgment until 

later, individuals feel free to generate unusual ideas.

• Welcome unusual ideas—new ways of thinking may 

provide better solutions.

• Combine and improve ideas—good ideas may be 

combined to form a single better idea.

• Brainstorm (10 minutes)

• Have one or two of the groups brainstorm a list of 

strategies for finding groups.

• Have one or two groups brainstorm a list of strategies 

for forming groups.

• Have one to two groups brainstorm tips for facilitating 

groups.

• Hear quick reports from the groups—emphasize and 

reinforce the best strategies each group identified. 

(20 minutes)

Continue on Community Networking slide.

Lunch break (if following one-day schedule)
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Option B: Tracking Progress and Managing Challenges in 

Group Counseling

Materials needed: One index card per person

• Begin a discussion about the kinds of challenges 

CCP staff are facing in group counseling—e.g., difficult 

group members, getting a session started, transitioning 

responsibility to the group members.

• Ask participants to write on an index card a description 

of a challenge they are struggling with in facilitating 

group counseling. (5 minutes)

• Collect the cards from participants. Have them discuss 

the challenges they identified at their tables while you 

quickly review the cards and choose two to work with. 

You might want to choose challenges that appear most 

frequently, or ones that provide the most substance for 

discussion. (5 minutes)

• Assign half of the tables in the room one of the 

challenges, and have them do some group problem 

solving around what they would do to manage that 

challenge. Assign the other half of the room the other 

challenge you have chosen.

• Give the groups 10 minutes to identify a strategy or tips 

for managing this challenge.

• Facilitate a discussion of the similarities and 

differences of the different groups’ responses. Give your 

own perspective.

• Repeat the process for the other case. (10 minutes per 

case)

 OR

• Transition to discuss the examples of progress and 

success made in groups so far. (10 minutes)

Lunch break (if following one-day schedule)

 1 hour Lunch Break
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 20 minutes Community Networking

TRAINER’S NOTE: In this section, choose to focus the 

discussion on either anniversary planning or phasedown 

preparation, based on the timing of the training relative to 

either anniversary or phasedown. Discuss with the program 

manager before the training the event on which they would like 

to focus, or if both should be discussed.

Discuss the role of the CCP and the community in preparing 

for and commemorating either the disaster anniversary or the 

phasedown of the CCP.

• Emphasize that the CCP plays a supportive role in the 

disaster anniversary planning and commemoration of 

the community.

• Emphasize that the community must be integrally 

involved in the preparation and conduct of the CCP 

phasedown. After the CCP ceases operations, it is the 

community that must continue to provide services to its 

members.

• Emphasize that the CCP is a first step and initial 

connection to an ongoing system that will remain after 

the CCP is over.

Tell participants that we’re going to take some time to begin 

discussing how to engage the community in anniversary or 

phasedown planning.

Ask participants to work with others at their table to do the 

following: (10 minutes)

• Identify which community groups and leaders you want 

to engage in anniversary/phasedown planning.

• Identify how you want to engage them—what are some 

key actions you’ll take?

Ask groups which groups/leaders they identified. Record

them on a tear sheet and incorporate into a future timeline.

Ask them what actions they’ll take to engage these groups. 

Summarize the discussion, and transition to a discussion of 

assessment and referral.
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 30 minutes Assessment and Referral

Review the importance of the Assessment and Referral 

Tools:

• The CCP is resiliency-based and helps people access 

their personal coping skills. At this point after a disaster, 

if someone isn’t able to access their personal coping 

skills it could mean they need professional help.

• The CCP is designed to help prevent long-term trauma 

and stress reactions like PTSD. The best way the 

program can do that is by referring individuals who are 

struggling to preventative treatment.

• The Assessment and Referral Tools are important 

implements to connect individuals with the local systems 

of care which can address their mental health and 

substance use needs. Part of the role of the CCP is 

to develop partnerships and connections with local 

resources/providers that continue offering services after 

the CCP ends. Developing, understanding, and utilizing 

this network is an important part of this phase of the 

grant.

Ask the participants to share other reasons why the Tools are 

important to the CCP program.

Facilitate a large-group discussion about assessment and 

referral:

• What are some specific situations that are appropriate 

to administer the Assessment and Referral Tools?

• How have you seen the needs for assessment and 

referral change over time?

• What are some current examples of assessment and 

referral from the past month or so?

• Are there circumstances in which you are reluctant to 

make a referral, even when it could be indicated? What 

are these circumstances? (Record these on a tear 

sheet.)

• What are some ways to overcome these obstacles?

• What are some of the grounds for emergency referral?
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Review the Adult Assessment and Referral Tool.

Discuss the following talking points/reminders:

• The Assessment and Referral Tools are often 

underutilized by CCP programs. Following the 

guidelines on when to use the tools ensures they will be 

utilized at the correct times.

• In the mobile app, the tool will prompt the user when the 

criteria are met, and crisis counselors should be using 

the form when appropriate.

• At the end of the form, you should review the responses 

that are highly rated and be prepared to offer the 

respondent a referral for more intensive services. 

• It is important to have a plan in place (that adheres to 

your employer’s protocol) for what to do if the individual 

says “yes” to the question “Is there any possibility that 

you might hurt or kill yourself?” 

• A crisis counselor can still make visits to a survivor who 

has received an assessment and referral.

Review the Child/Youth Assessment and Referral Tool.

Remind participants that training videos on these forms are 

available online: https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/ccp-toolkit/

train-your-ccp-staff. Suggest the participants watch the videos 

at a future team meeting and do the forms together to practice 

as a group. This will help them become more familiar and 

comfortable with asking the questions.

Review the guidelines for emergency treatment referral.

Emphasize that crisis counselors should know local 

emergency resources before going out into the community.

Ask the program managers to share with the group how their 

work interfaces with existing mobile crisis response in addition 

to the 988 call centers.
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Review the guidelines for nonemergency treatment referral.

Refer to the table in their workbooks describing the difference 

between traditional case management and CCP resource 

linkage.

Facilitate a discussion with the participants around the 

following questions: 

• How might you know a person needs assessment and 

possibly also a referral? 

• What resources do you have to refer people to? 

• When should you contact your supervisor? 

• What protocols do you have in place if someone 

answers “yes” to a question about self-harm?

• What real-life experiences have you had with the 

Assessment and Referral Tools? Do you have any 

lessons learned to share with the group?

Transition to discussing public education.

 45 minutes Public Education

Discuss how the need for public education increases at 

midprogram.

Ask participants where they currently provide public education 

and information—what venues, what audience?

Ask them to identify places they are not providing public 

education but could—what are some untapped opportunities? 

Record these on a tear sheet. Get the group to identify at least 

three opportunities.

Ask if the message has changed since the beginning of the 

program. Should any messaging by updated to reflect the 

status of the CCP program, and the eventual phasedown?

Ask them to imagine they’re preparing a presentation at one 

of the venues identified above—what would you do to prepare 

in order to be successful?

The group will hopefully identify some of the following:

• Be clear about the purpose of your presentation.
CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training

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• Know who the audience is.

• Gather appropriate supporting materials—visual aids, 

handouts.

• Know what you’re going to say—prepare your remarks.

• Use effective presentation skills.

Emphasize that there are three key aspects to making an 

effective public education presentation:

• Know your audience.

• Plan your presentation.

• Deliver an effective message.

Discuss what you want to find out about your audience 

before making a presentation:

Know Your Audience

• General information about your audience—e.g., age, 

gender, education level, economic status, ethnicity

• Their interests and needs:

• Knowledge level of your subject

• Attitude toward the subject

• What they want to know

• What they care about

• What they need to receive and understand the 

message (consider language, customs, and beliefs)

The most important thing to think about and determine is, 

what’s in it for the audience? Why should they care about what 

you’re saying? Orient your presentation around that. Explain 

that you won’t always know for sure what their interests and 

needs are, but you can make an educated guess.
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Explain the key steps in planning and preparing a 

presentation.

Plan Your Presentation

• Determine your key message—what do you want them 

to think, do, or know?

• Decide on the top three points of your message— these 

points should be concise.

• Identify supporting facts, examples, or stories—people 

remember examples and stories best.

• Craft a strong opening and closing statement—tell 

people what you’re going to tell them; tell them; and 

then, tell them what you told them. Repetition of your 

key message will enhance audience retention.

• Develop supporting materials (visual aids, handouts, 

etc.)—when possible, use visuals and handouts to 

supplement your presentation.

Discuss the aspects of delivering an effective message.

Deliver an Effective Message

• Voice tone and speaking style:

• Speak loudly and clearly—use your voice for 

emphasis.

• Avoid talking in a monotone and trailing off at the end 

of sentences.

• Body language:

• Gestures:

• Maintain an “open” body posture—don’t cross or 

clasp your hands; face the audience.

• Don’t fidget with anything; put down pens, 

markers, and papers.

• Move around somewhat while presenting.

• Facial expressions:

• Make sure your facial expression matches what 

you’re saying—excited, serious, etc.

• Smile when appropriate.
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• Eye contact:

• Look for an “ally” in the group—but don’t fixate 

on that one person!

• Move your gaze about the room.

• Don’t look over people’s heads.

• Preparing:

• Write out what you want to say and put it in your 

own voice. 

• Practice ahead of time.

• Practice in front of a mirror.

Note that many of these tips are common sense and probably 

aren’t anything new to them. The hard part is doing it, and the 

secret to that is practice!

Tell them they are going to have a chance to practice crafting 

a public education message for a specific group and delivering 

that message.

Break the participants into three groups (or some multiple 

of three, depending on the size of the group). Choose three 

venues/audiences from the list of potential public education 

opportunities the group brainstormed. Assign one venue/

audience to each group.

Their task is to prepare a public education message for that 

group (3–5 minutes) and identify supporting materials they 

would want to provide.

Tell them they have a total of 30 minutes to prepare and take 

a break before we start the presentations; it’s up to them how 

they want to manage their time (i.e., take a break first, then 

work, or vice versa).
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Have each group present its public education message and 

describe what supporting materials it would provide at the 

meeting.

Facilitate a brief feedback session after each presentation— 

on both the presenter’s delivery (body languages, voice) 

and the message itself (clarity, persuasiveness). Ask the 

other participants to give feedback first, and then add in your 

perspective. Start by asking these questions:

• What worked well in this presentation?

• What could be improved?

Spend about 10 minutes per group for the presentation and 

then feedback. (30 minutes total)

Summarize—or ask the participants to summarize—the 

key messages about planning and delivering effective public 

education.

Wrap up this session, and transition to the next section on 

program management.

Give a 15-minute break if following the one-day schedule.

 15 minutes Break
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Section 4: Program Management (30 minutes)

 5 minutes Session Introduction

Introduce this session by saying that we’re going to review 

and discuss a few key areas of program management to 

identify what’s working well and where there’s room for 

improvement.

 25 minutes Program Management Discussion

Review the session objective:

• Identify effective approaches to program management.

Share with the group that while this section says program 

management, we want to hear from everyone, not just 

management/leadership.

TRAINER’S NOTE: In this section, slides with suggested 

questions are provided for a variety of program management 

issues. Based on your understanding of the group, the 

program, and the program management, you can choose a 

few topics to focus discussion on in this session, or try to cover 

all topics quickly.

Facilitate discussion about the current status of 

communication within the project:

• Who is responsible for ensuring an effective overall 

system of communication?

• What is the communication structure (i.e., mobile 

phones, email, team meetings, supervisor meetings)?

• What tools are being used to facilitate communication 

(i.e., the ODCES mobile app Resources function)?

• How does it operate on a state, provider, and team 

level?
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Ask about their current mechanisms for quality assurance.

How does your program demonstrate:

• Adherence to the CCP model?

• An effective communication system?

• Regularly scheduled team meetings?

• Effective management and supervision?

• Collection, analysis, and utilization of data?

• Identification of problems and gaps in service?

• Ongoing needs assessment?

The CCP may have a formal quality assurance process in 

place. If so, have the program leadership and participants 

describe it and how it is working. Or, ask participants to 

review the list on the slide and identify one or two they would 

like to enhance in the coming months.

• Have there been breakdowns in communication?

• Where?

• When?

• How can they be resolved?

• Are crisis counselors getting the information and support 

they need?

• How can program communication be improved?

Facilitate discussion on how data collection has been 

useful in the program. The earlier discussion on data focused 

on interpretation of the data, but this section focuses on how 

data impacts the program’s internal processes. Focus the 

discussion on how the answers to the questions on the slide 

will be captured and shared with stakeholders going forward.

How have data collection and analysis:

• Assisted program managers/team leaders?

• Assisted crisis counselors?

• Assisted in identifying program trends and survivor 

needs?
CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training

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• Documented the program’s accomplishments?

• Provided accountability to stakeholders (e.g., Congress, 

Government Accountability Office, federal agencies)?

Ask for examples of how data has been used to change 

aspects of the CCP to better serve the needs of the 

community. The trainer may also want to share some realworld examples with the group.

Facilitate a discussion of supervision in the program.

How is your program:

• Conducting group meetings to discuss staff needs?

• Conducting regularly scheduled individual supervision 

sessions?

• Ensuring availability of needed supplies and equipment?

• Providing ongoing training opportunities on CCPspecific topics?

Suggested talking points:

• If the participants are unfamiliar with supervision, as it is 

carried out in the mental health field, discuss what types 

of issues might be addressed in supervision (e.g., what 

happens in individual supervision).

• Supervisors need to ensure that new and existing staff 

understand the CCP model and the parameters of the 

program.

• At the start of the CCP, there should be daily all-staff 

meetings. Typical topics include necessary trainings, 

supervision techniques, and stress management.

• There should be regular meetings, in-service trainings, 

and open communication to ensure staff stay within 

the boundaries of the CCP and do not engage in nonallowable activities such as case management and 

advocacy.

• Identify staff needs:

• By observing through face-to-face outreach with 

the team

• Through group and individual support

• Through training
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• Address staff needs through the following:

• Face-to-face outreach modeling and education

• Supervision and education

• Training focused on specific needs

Ask about the training provided by the program to staff.

How is your program:

• Using team meeting/supervision to identify gaps in 

training?

• Assisting with the development of crisis counseling 

skills?

• Identifying and educating crisis counselors in other 

program areas (culture, geography, physical safety)? 

Improving techniques to teach survivor tools?

Discuss any challenges and successes with supervision and 

training. What has worked best for the CCP teams? What 

could be improved?

Introduce the concept of phasedown, and explain why it’s 

important to pay attention to at midprogram:

• The CCP is a time-limited program.

• The CCP supports, but does not replace, community 

infrastructure.

• Bridging and transitioning needs and services back to 

communities is a key part of the CCP model.

• Crisis counselors should facilitate community response 

to individual and community needs.

• Active community involvement is an important sign of 

recovery and critical to successful phasedown efforts.

Suggested talking points:

• At this point in the program, the participants should be 

taking stock and doing a general assessment of these 

areas:

• Individual and community needs

• Where they are as a program
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• Where they have been

• Where they want to go (e.g., additional outreach 

and intervention strategies, goals for the 

remainder of the program)

Ask what plans they have to begin preparing for phasedown.

Bring this session to a close, and transition to the last session 

on stress management.

Give the participants a quick stretch break if they need it 

before moving on to the next session.
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 40 minutes Stress Management Techniques

Section 5: Stress Management (45 minutes)

 5 minutes Session Introduction

Introduce this session by saying that we want to promote a 

“marketplace of ideas” on stress management, as this is such 

a critical area for maintaining the health of the staff and for 

promoting survivor recovery.

Review the session objective:

• Apply techniques for managing stress.

Emphasize how important stress management is, for staff 

themselves and for role modeling for survivors.

Remind the staff that the CCP Toolkit includes a video on 

Stress Management Techniques, which can be found at https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqpCCnmwNVY. If time allows and 

the classroom has the proper audio/visual set up, show the 

video to the class. If not, encourage the participants to watch it 

on their own.

Ask participants to think about answers to these questions:

• What stress management techniques work well for you?

• What techniques have you introduced to survivors?

Give them a few minutes to reflect individually and make 

some notes in their workbooks.
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Explain that we’re going to create a marketplace for stress 

management techniques.

Tell participants to share their techniques at their tables and 

choose one that they will “market” to the rest of the group. 

Have them create a poster advertising the stress management 

technique they want to share with the rest of the group. (20 

minutes)

Have each group identify two people who will stay with 

the poster to explain the technique to interested “shoppers” in 

the “marketplace.” The first person—ideally the person who 

contributed the idea—will stay and explain the poster for the 

first 10 minutes of the marketplace; the second person will 

stay during the next 10 minutes of the marketplace.

Give the participants 20 minutes to mill around the 

“marketplace,” learning about each group’s stress 

management techniques. Encourage them to take notes on 

the new techniques they’re learning.

After 10 minutes, announce that it’s time to switch the poster 

presenters. Give the presenters time to switch; then, start up 

the marketplace again for another 10 minutes.

At the end of 20 minutes, have all the participants take their 

seats again. Ask these questions:

• What have you learned that you’re excited about?

• What can you use yourself?

• What can you use with survivors?

• What can you use with your teams?

If time permits, check with participants about how well the 

program management and program systems/procedures are 

supporting them in managing their stress.

You could either facilitate a brief discussion, or do a 

suggestion box, where participants write down a suggestion 

for improving organizational stress management and hand it 

in. You then give the suggestions to the program manager for 

consideration and follow up.
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Bring this session to a close, and transition to the final 

segment of the training—applying your learning and course 

evaluation.

Remind participants that SAMHSA DTAC is available as a 

resource for information, assistance, and questions regarding 

the CCP.
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Applying Your Learning and Course Evaluation 

(15 minutes)

 10 minutes Applying Your Learning

Tell participants that what we’re about to do is the most 

important part of any course. Studies have shown that if you 

don’t use new skills you have acquired during training within 

2 weeks of the course, those new skills are lost to you. So, 

taking a few moments to review your learning and set your 

goals to apply what you have learned is essential.

Have participants turn to the reflection worksheet in their 

workbooks and complete the worksheet there. Give them 

about 5 minutes to complete it.

Tell the participants to find a partner and share their plans 

with each other.

Encourage them to make a commitment to check back in 

with each other in 2 weeks to see if they’re following through 

on the actions they’ve identified.

Give them about 5 minutes for their discussion.

Ask for a few examples of the following:

• Key learning

• Specific actions they intend to take to apply that learning
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 5 minutes Course Evaluation

Hand out the course evaluation form, and ask participants to 

complete it. If providing the course evaluation via a website link, 

share that link.

Encourage them to write in specific comments on the form, 

as the feedback is collected and used to improve future course 

deliveries.

Thank them for their time, hard work, and attention.

Training Feedback 

The following pages include two different training feedback 

forms. One form is intended to be filled out by all those who 

were in attendance to participate in the training. The second 

form is meant to be filled out by the trainer(s) and program 

leadership. 

Receiving feedback from both the trainer(s) and training 

attendees is greatly appreciated and serves several purposes: 

• Your responses may be used to help us continue to 

improve upon the content when future training revisions 

occur. 

• The feedback will allow our trainers to continue to 

improve upon their delivery of the material. 

• Program leadership can identify gaps in knowledge or 

areas covered that could use additional discussion and 

determine what supplemental training may be useful for 

the program. 

Please allow adequate time for training attendees to complete 

the training feedback form. The feedback can be obtained by 

either completing the paper form found at the end of the CCP 

RSP Midprogram Training Participant Workbook or by providing 

participants with an online survey link if one has been provided 

by SAMHSA DTAC.
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Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP)

Training Feedback for Trainers and Leadership

CCP Name/Disaster Number: 

 

1. The content of this training module included all of the elements necessary for participants to 

adequately understand and deliver CCP services. 

STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 2 3 4 5 STRONGLY AGREE

2. The supporting materials, including slides, handouts, and instructor’s notes, facilitated effective 

delivery of module content. 

STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 2 3 4 5 STRONGLY AGREE

3. The content of the training module was thorough and well organized. 

STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 2 3 4 5 STRONGLY AGREE

4. The material was adequately covered in the time allowed. 

STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 2 3 4 5 STRONGLY AGREE

5. The exercises and Trainer’s Tips booklet contained activities that effectively facilitated learning. 

STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 2 3 4 5 STRONGLY AGREE

6. The overall training session was well received by the participants. 

STRONGLY DISAGREE 1 2 3 4 5 STRONGLY AGREE
CCP Trainer’s Guide: Midprogram Training

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7. What elements of this training session were most effective in facilitating learning?

8. What, if anything, would you change to improve the content or organization of the training 

materials?

Please return this form and all the participant evaluations to the state CCP director. Remember to 

ask the state CCP director to send copies of all forms to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) at 

dtac@samhsa.hhs.gov.