Training of Psychological Crisis Interventions Team

Within the Prison System and Probation Directorate, there is a Psychological Crisis Interventions Team composed of civil servants from the Prison System and Probation Directorate.

The Team is intended to provide psychological support to civil servants and other employees of penal institutions and probation offices after high-stress and potentially traumatic events. 
The Department of Psychological Support to Prison and Probation Officers in Trakošćan organised a training for the Psychological Crisis Interventions Team in Trakošćan on 27 September 2023. The training was delivered as an activity under the project “Strengthening human rights protection and public safety by improving the capacities of the Croatian probation service”.
It included an analysis of the activities carried out in cooperation with the Training Centre for the purpose of prevention of mental stress, with an emphasis on the prevention of alcoholism, development of communication skills in the workplace and activities to improve the competencies of managing civil servants for prevention and alleviation of mental stress. A report on the activities carried out in 2022 was also presented. During the training, members of the Team had the opportunity to exchange experiences in interventions and to make suggestions for improving the protection of mental health of prison and probation officers. The training included a workshop on Stress-Focused Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.
At the end, participants discussed proposals for marking five years’ anniversary of the establishment and operation of the Psychological Crisis Interventions Team, established on 27 November 2018 by a Decision of the Head of the Prison System and Probation Directorate. The training was evaluated extremely positively, with an emphasis on the importance of regular meetings and trainings of the Team as well as activities focused on improving the competencies of Team members.