Disaster Chaplaincy Services and the Logos Institute for Crisis Management and Executive Leadership were the local hosts for a regional conference on crisis intervention presented by The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. (ICISF) on June 4-7 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Attendees from around the world gathered to learn the latest training and education on comprehensive crisis intervention systems. Attendees attended sessions on Crisis Intervention, Peer Support, Strategic Crisis Response, and other issues vital to the training of Crisis Responders.

There was also a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Town Meeting held the first day of the conference. The purpose of the meeting was to 1.) improve communications between ICISF and CISM practitioners and the CISM teams in the field, 2.) discuss the most current developments in CISM and to 3.) assist in planning for the future of CISM. This innovative course of action at the beginning of the conference helped to assure that while learning the most updated information, the facilitators and instructors were able to tailor sessions to what is happening in the field. Conference attendees were thrilled to be such an integral part of the training process.

The New York City setting was perfect for the conference. The Union Theological Seminary, nestled in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, allowed for great dining, easy transportation, sightseeing opportunities and areas of reflection from its courtyard or from Riverside Park.

Rev. Julie Taylor, Executive Director of DCS remarked, “It is so exciting to have this many professionals in crisis response networking and setting the pace for the future of the field.”