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Guardian Revival offers free education and professional training for guardians (military, veterans, and first responders), helping them build the skills and confidence needed to support themselves and others.
Peer Support:
For Guardians By Guardians
Participants in our courses learn practical tools for peer support, crisis response, resilience, and mental wellness.
Our goal is simple: strengthen peer support networks so guardians can care for one another with knowledge, compassion, and confidence.
Curriculum & Topics
Assisting Individuals in Crisis (AIC)
Group Crisis Intervention (GCI)
Introduction and History of Peer Services
How to Connect Peers to Resources
Reducing Stigma
Mental Health Understanding for Peer Support
Crisis Intervention and Verbal De-Escalation
Online Peer Support Courses
Guardian Revival offers self-paced online training through our Guardian Revival Academy.
These courses provide foundational knowledge in peer support, mental wellness, and communication skills, while allowing participants to learn according to their own schedule from anywhere.
Foundations of Peer Support: Essentials Course
This virtual, introductory course covers the essential skills needed to begin effective peer support work for guardians (military, veterans, and first responders).
Video lessons by Brian Flynn, LCSW, serve as the starting point for participants to continue into the full, hands-on program. Through 4 classes and a combination of videos to watch & practice exercises at your own pace, you will build a solid foundation for supporting peers in improving their lives.
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Introduction and History of Peer Services
Explores the foundations of peer support in mental health and recovery systems, and shows how lived experience became an essential part of recovery-oriented care.
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How to Connect Peers with Resources
Examines how stigma, cultural expectations, and practical barriers can prevent individuals from seeking help, and provides a simple model for starting conversations and guiding peers towards services while maintaining trust.
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Mental Health Understanding for Peer Support
Introduces strategies for maintaining mental & emotional resilience in high-stress environments as well as how to support & promote long-term well-being of peers.
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Crisis Intervention and Verbal De-Escalation
Teaches trauma-informed approaches to recognizing crisis behaviors and responding with supportive communication techniques, including motivational interviewing.
How to Enroll
Get started in our Guardian Revival Academy:
Visit the signup page
Enter your email to receive a registration link in your inbox
Create a password, fill in your name, and then click “Create Account”
You’ll then be logged in and directed to your Learn page
Check your email — you will be automatically enrolled in “Foundations of Peer Support: Essentials Course” and need to click “Start Training” to enter the course (it will now appear in your Learn dashboard)
Open the course and begin learning!
In-Person Crisis Intervention Trainings
Guardian Revival offers professional certification courses focused on crisis intervention and peer support, taught at our headquarters in Beacon, New York.
These courses are widely used by professionals across various fields, including law enforcement, healthcare, emergency services, disaster response, and mental health.
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This crisis intervention course teaches participants how to provide immediate psychological support during acute emotional or behavioral crises, often described as “emotional first aid.”
The course focuses on the SAFER-Revised model, crisis communication techniques, and suicide intervention.
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Group Crisis Intervention provides a comprehensive understanding of systematic and multi-component crisis intervention techniques for groups.
Participants will learn the core elements of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), including demobilizations, defusings, and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD).
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This course explores the impact of stigma on individuals with mental health challenges and how it can impact their lives.
Learners will examine the roots of stigma and learn strategies to challenge stereotypes, foster empathy, and promote a culture of respect and inclusion.
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Introduces strategies for maintaining mental & emotional resilience in high-stress environments as well as how to support & promote long-term well-being of peers.
Learners will explore coping strategies, self-care practices, and resilience-building tools.
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Teaches trauma-informed approaches to recognizing crisis behaviors and responding with supportive communication techniques, including motivational interviewing.
Learn how to foster healing and empowerment through skills that help individuals clarify goals, overcome ambivalence, and take meaningful steps in their recovery journey.
Upcoming Trainings In-Person
Impacting First Responders in New York
In New York State, completing the ICISF courses Assisting Individuals in Crisis (AIC) and Group Crisis Intervention (GCI) courses meet state requirements for confidential peer support training, offering meaningful downstream impact.
Under the Lieutenant Joseph Banish Mental Health Act (NY Assembly Bill A06721A), trained peer supporters may qualify as confidential law enforcement peers, allowing law enforcement to offer crisis support with legal confidentiality protections. This reduces barriers to care and stigma around asking for help.
By offering these courses, Guardian Revival helps strengthen peer support infrastructure and promote a culture where guardians can safely support one another.
Want a specific training?
Are you interested in a training on a particular topic or specific certification? We’d love to hear your ideas!
To collaborate on a private training for your organization, just say hello@guardianrevival.org
Who are we?
Guardian Revival is a New York State 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization chartered to revive & preserve the mental health & well-being of military, veterans, and first responders — our guardians — and their families, at no cost to them.
Through both in-person and online offerings, our programs have directly impacted guardians & families across the country.
Our programs offer a complimentary approach to healthcare, so that our guardians can pursue an empowered, integrative approach to improving their lives.
Decreased sense of loneliness
Increased sense of purpose
Growth in social network
Increased sense of belonging
Improved physical health
Together, these yield improved overall well-being.
All Upcoming Events
We organize free events for guardians (active & retired) and their families:
Active Military ᐧ Veterans ᐧ Reserves ᐧ National Guard ᐧ Law Enforcement ᐧ Fire & Rescue ᐧ Emergency Medical Services ᐧ Dispatchers ᐧ Corrections ᐧ Federal Agents
