About the Instructor
Brian Bennett, a Registered Massage Therapist from Collingwood/Markham, was formerly employed for 17 months as a medical venue manager for the Toronto2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, in this position he coordinated development of a mental health program for the first time in Pan/Parapan Am Games history, and managed 8 sport venues, 3 satellite accommodation clinics, assisted the Emergency Manager in the coordination of medical services for spectators across the Games, and managed all medical for the opening/closing ceremonies for the Parapan Am Games. In September 2017 Brian was the medical co-lead for all cycling events at the Invictus Games. Most recently Brian was employed by the GoldCoast Games organizing committee, as Venue Medical Manager for the Commonwealth Games in Australia. As part of this role he developed and presented a Medical Staff Support (CISM) Program to 50 Fulltime medical staff/managers at the Games. This program was in place to support over 1400 medical volunteers for the duration of the Games.
He has been a volunteer and paid ski patroller with the Canadian Ski Patrol (for 34 years), and a member of their CISM team (18 years) being presented with several awards for his dedication to CISM with the Patrol. In 2016 he became the first National CISM Coordinator for the Canadian Ski Patrol with approximately 4500 members. Brian volunteered for the Canadian Red Cross during the Ft McMurray fire disaster working as a Safety & Wellbeing Responder/Supervisor providing psycho-social support to residents displaced by fires and residing in Edmonton. He has trained in firefighting becoming NFPA 1001 FF1 and FF2 certified.
Brian has been an ICISF approved crisis intervention instructor since 2009 teaching Group Crisis Intervention, Assisting Individuals in Crisis, Strategic Response to Crisis, Advanced Assisting Individuals in Crisis, Advanced Group Crisis Intervention, Peer Para-Counseling for CISM, and an approved instructor for the R2MR Road to Mental Readiness program from the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and the Mental Health Commission Canada. Brian teaches locally in Toronto as well as across Canada. He has presented "International Multisport Games and the Provision of CISM, Past, Present, and Future" and "Stress Reactions in Healthcare" at the "ICISF World Congress on Stress, Trauma, and Coping" In Baltimore Maryland, "Stress Reactions in Healthcare" to the Critical Incident Stress Coordinators Conference in San Antonio Texas, the Pan/Parapan Am medical conference prior to the Games in Toronto, to sports medicine physicians during the CASEM endurance medicine course at Ironman Muskoka, and at the PRO Parks and Recreation Ontario Aquatics conference. Brian regularly volunteers his time to present talks for provincial and national organizations.
Brian strives to make each class a true learning experience, tailoring each course to the particular needs of the group. He develops scenarios that relate to the students backgrounds, and makes use of video roll plays to increase learning and skill development.
Instructor feedback:
"Brian was an amazing instructor. I'm starting my first nursing job and i know this course will help me greatly throughout my nursing career" Nursing grad/new hire 2024
"I went into the course not knowing much about mental health first aid but i came out feeling confident that i can help my fellow colleagues on the fire department, Brian(Instructor) was an excellent teacher and kept the class upbeat and the long days actually went by fairly quickly. I would definitely recommend this course to any on my fellow firefighters" Firefighter 2024
"The instructor was excellent and his delivery, very easy to stay focused on and answered every question asked of him" Residential Support Worker 2024
"Brian was an exceptional instructor who was able to not only make the material easy to understand and easy to participate in. He was able to make it relevant to all of the different backgrounds of the members. This was one of the best instructed courses i have participated in" Firefighter 2024
"I enjoyed the training. It was heavy material, but important and relevant, and dare i say actually fun despite the heavy material" Aviation Training Specialist, Sunwing Airlines 2024
"I loved the emphasis on practicing the different intervention strategies. The videos the were provided gave us a good idea of the different phases and how we should structure the questions and how long we should take between responses. Actually going through the strategies in groups gave us some practical experience with them, and also allowed us to reflect on how we would approach a real person or group in crisis. I think that the breakdown of phases is very practical, as it allows us to focus in on the things that are easily processed by patients we are speaking with". Engineer/First Responder 2024
Great course overall, very glad i took it and would recommend to others. Mental Health Occupational Therapist 2024
Amazing course, Fantastic instructor! Highly recommend this course and this instructor! Hospital People Health and Wellbeing Consultant 2024
This is a very difficult topic to teach, and Brian made it easy and relatable sharing real life experiences that helped. I feel prepared to use my new skills. Hospital Occupational Health Manager 2024
Valuable information, presented very well. Fire Platoon Chief 2023
Brian was very knowledgeable and presented the material in a great way. The training was well organized and we had lots of opportunities to practice. Counselor-Public Safety Agency 2023
Provided a very practical approach to managing stress
Instructor was knowledgeable, had a lot of experience and great examples for how each intervention can be used, good chance to practice and role play different interventions. Social Worker-Global Wellness Manager 2023
Brian was great. a 3 day intensive training isn't easy to deliver but Brian did a great job in making it interactive and entertaining. Social Worker 2023
Just WOW! I can't thank you enough for your patience, expertise, and generosity in presenting this training and sharing your knowledge. You're a blessing to us all
Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre 2023
Having taken a number of training sessions recently as I onboard at a new hospital this training was by far the most enjoyable. It was engaging and practical. Many courses get stuck on teaching theory, this course focused heavily on the tools and techniques and was supported by an appropriate amount of Theory to understand the reasons behind the tools.
Bluewater Health Hospital, Social Worker 2022
Great training! I will be highly recommending this training to all community partners looking to develop and/or enhance their CISM capacity.
Deputy Police Chief Nova Scotia 2022
Thanks for 3 days of awesome education! Great job Brian, it was a pleasure learning from you. Hospital Social Worker 2022
I found the course to be an impactful and informative investment toward my career in the fire service, thanks for the opportunity. Volunteer Fire Fighter 2022
Our team here in Brant County got called out this past Friday, with holidays/work we were down most of our senior team members. I ended up leading a diffusing along with another FF who recently took your course also. A little stressful trying to wrap my brain around it on the drive out to the station, but with support from the others and a cheat card in my hand things went very well and we left with a feeling that we made a difference!!
Thanks again Brian for all the good info in the course, it was definitely worthwhile!!
District Chief Volunteer Fire 2021
Brian did a great job of engaging the entire group. This was a very worthwhile course and Brian did a great job working with individuals to facilitate learning. Well done.
Victim Services 2021
I usually do not like using zoom for learning. I was pleasantly surprised how effective it was, and the ability to go into small breakout groups.
Health Care Staff 2021
I was so very impressed with Brian as a Zoom presenter. Running the "back end" of Zoom, while presenting, is high-performance multi-tasking. Brian did this beautifully. Excellent and efficient use of virtual breakout rooms. Excellent pace, both in cadence of Brian's speech but also his moving material and audience questions along swiftly. Many thanks Brian for your professional presentation style!
2021
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and the way Brian taught the course. He was extremely knowledgeable on the topic, and provided a ton of examples. I would have preferred an in-class learning environment, however the online-learning environment was surprisingly engaging and easy to pay attention to.
Volunteer Fire 2021
Great Course, very informative, there's a lot of content but spaced well. The guides are great and really are there to help further review and practice. I thank Brian very much for his stellar efforts"
Emerg Nurse & Peer team member 2021
"I wanted to pass on how impressive your skills are as an instructor, particularly on zoom. Your delivery was excellent. Operating the Zoom controls while presenting is no easy task, and you did this seamlessly. I appreciated the pace you kept, and how you engaged students with direct questions. If only other courses I've taken this year could have been as lively"
R. Psych 2021
"Thank you for this training, It was so well done and very engaging. Looking forward to putting these skills into practice both for my department and in my professional career"
Volunteer Fire Fighter and Peer team member 2021
Many thanks to Brian for a job well done teaching the CISM course for the past 3 days. It's a tough job but you managed to keep us captivated and awake non stop. I highly recommend this course and Brian as an instructor for any emergency services individuals that might be interested to obtain their certification.
First Responder/Peer support team member 2019
What did you find most valuable about the course? "The interactive learning experience was amazing! So many opportunities to participate"
Emergency Operations Peer Team Member 2019
"Brian was one of the best instructors I've ever had. Kept it interesting"
Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital 2019
"Brian is an incredible instructor, I would take a course with him again"
Emergency Management/PEOC 2019
"Brian was an excellent presenter and made the course enjoyable"
Social Services 2018
"Great training Brian. Kept it interesting, fun and exciting, very professional. A big thank you!"
Women's shelter staff 2018
"Brian was fun and encouraging, kept it interesting!"
Elementary school Peer Support Team 2018
"Found the instructor very well informed and can easily flow with the information. Kept us engaged"
Social Services 2018
"This CISM course was life changing, I can't wait to use these skills to help peers in the workplace"
Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital Manager 2018
"Brian did an excellent job using the backgrounds of the course participants. He is clearly passionate about what he is teaching"
Fire department 2017
What did you like most about the course?: "Instructor- great presentation, excellent facilitation, work & life experience" "I have really appreciated this opportunity and the care that went into being inclusive of all participants and backgrounds. Very respectful, playful, and insightful."
Clergy 2017
"Professionally presented in a structured, safe, respectful environment that fostered excellent learning environment. Instructor is passionate and well informed about material and teaching them"
Ski Patrol 2017
"Brian was a great instructor, and clearly is very comfortable speaking about this subject"
Fire Department CISM team member 2017
"The wallet size cards were Awesome tools for activities, the books were easy to follow along and exercises helped bring the info into action"
Community Mental Health Worker 2017
Would you recommend this course? "Absolutely, this is a perfect tool for all First Nation communities" "This stuff is paramount to bring back to our CISM teams"
Mental Health Responder 2017
"There are no words to describe the importance of this training, it is invaluable!"
2017
"Great job. I especially appreciate the efforts the trainer went through to prepare himself for the group he was training. A great effort put forth to make it as culturally appropriate as possible"
Victim Services-Responder/Team Lead First Nations. 2017
"I found this very informative and stimulating. It took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me. I learned a lot from this training and it has motivated me to learn more. I really enjoyed this training."
Community Mental Health Worker 2017
"Brian was very knowledgeable and was easy to follow along, and listen to. Made the topic very interesting"
Firefighter 2016
"The presenter (Brian) was truly knowledgeable and connected very well with everyone. Our two day training course didn't seem like a course at all, but an in-depth learning session. I loved it!"
Human Resources 2016
"Thank you for being so generous with your time this past weekend. We learned a lot and feel much more able to support our own members in the event of a difficult event."
Saskatoon Ski Patrol Division President 2016
"Your skills have grown and I've seen you blossom as a lecturer, leader, and a great event manager. Thanks for being a solid team player, energetic to the very end, and always positive!"
Chief Medical Officer Toronto2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games 2015
"Excellent instructor with depth of understanding, empathy, fantastic positive input and answering questions"
EMS/Ski Patrol
"You need good instructors to enhance the the learning, Brian was Great"
Building trades union
"Brian was awesome!, answered questions with examples, made dry information interesting"
Police, Hamilton CERT team
"Brian was a great instructor. A natural teacher, great voice with recap + effective stories, Included all students"
CCISF national conference attendee 2013
cismtraining.ca
Contact us today to learn more.
416-894-6015 or cismtraining@outlook.com
An approved instructor/ guest presenter for these organizations and many more.
