K-9 Disaster Relief

K-9 Disaster Relief ~ Ground Zero ~ 2001

K-9 Disaster Relief is a Non-Profit  501 (c) 3 Humanitarian Foundation. It’s mission is to “help traumatized victims of a disaster through canine crisis intervention and emotional support.”

Utilizing canines, this is achieved with handlers trained in Canine Disaster Relief Services – CDRS. K-9 Disaster Relief provides courses, workshops and seminars through its education and K-9 Disaster Relief Academy. 

 

For ten years the organization has partnered and collaborated with the United States Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Project Liberty, Project Recovery, American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health and Human Services, Salvation Army Disaster Services, and state/county government agencies, airlines, labor unions, industry, private companies and local communities. 

 

K-9 Disaster Relief brings to bear combined resources and expertise in trauma and crisis intervention to meet the immediate and ongoing psychological needs of victims in crisis. 

 

Canine Disaster Relief Services 

Canine Crisis Intervention ~ CDRS is the most comprehensive course recognized by government, NGO, disaster relief organizations and agencies . . . and the academic community. Over a ten-year period of disaster response, the CDRS course is designed to present the core concepts of a comprehensive, systematic and multi-component canine crisis and trauma intervention curriculum combined with Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). The one-day interactive course will: a) Distinguish the differences between traditional animal assisted activities, animal assisted therapy and canine disaster relief services; b) Demonstrate the immediacy of providing crisis intervention to victims of a disaster, when a canine is utilized as a “transitional object” by handlers trained in Critical Incident Stress Management; c) Identify how the canine provides “common ground” to establish a therapeutic alliance with victims who have experienced acute trauma and/or significant loss; d) Teach how to work with a canine individually or within a multi-disciplinary Integrated Care Team providing crisis intervention to victims of a critical incident; e) Present the protocol on how to incorporate the utilization of Canine Disaster Relief Services by individuals with, or without a canine, who are part of a multi-disciplinary Outreach Care Team or CISM Team. 

 

This course qualifies for Continuing Education Credits 

 

Canine Crisis Intervention 

Canine Crisis Intervention ~ CCI is not psychotherapy, rather it is a specialized acute emergency psychological crisis intervention using canines as “transitional objects.” The model has been used in over a hundred disasters in the last ten years. It evolved over the eight month period that K-9 Disaster Relief provided Canine Crisis Intervention services on WTC – Ground Zero.

This disaster relief technique requires specialized training. Individuals wishing to advance their training skills in disaster relief are required to first take the course in Canine Disaster Relief Services – CDRS. As physical first-aid is to surgery, canine crisis intervention is to individuals suffering from traumatic stress caused by a critical incident or disaster. The Canine Crisis Intervention technique is sometimes called “emotional first-aid.”  

Most crisis interventions are typically done individually (one-on-one). This two-day course is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of, and a specific protocol for, individual canine crisis intervention working one-on-one with traumatized victims.

At the completion of this course, participants will be able to: List the fundamental principles of canine crisis intervention; Describe common symptoms after trauma; Demonstrate canine crisis intervention techniques; and List risk factors that require a higher level of structured care. 

 

This course qualifies for Continuing Education Credits

 

Who should attend? 

Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Activities Organizations; Veterinarians; Vet-Techs; SPCA; Humane Society; Search & Rescue Teams; CISM Teams; Disaster Response Personnel; Department of Homeland Security Personnel; FEMA; Office of Emergency Management; Law Enforcement; Fire-Fighters; American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health; Salvation Army Disaster Services; Crisis Workers; Psychologists; Counselors; Social Workers; Grief Counselors; Faith-based providers; Pastoral Care; Law-Enforcement; EMTs/Paramedics; nurses and healthcare professionals; Teachers; School Administration.