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Provided by: School Crisis Consultant Naomi Zikmund-Fisher |
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My first love is children. I began my career as a special education teacher in Pittsburgh, PA. After several years, I returned to graduate school and obtained my credentials as an administrator. I am now the Principal of a public K-8 school in Ann Arbor, MI.
I had my first experience with trauma and crisis response not as a responder, but as a traumatized person. In 2000, a 5th grade student at the school where I was a teacher was murdered. My school was fortunate to have a partnership with a nearby mental health service, and a trained Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team was deployed to our school. The difference they made in the functioning of the school and in the recovery of children, staff and parents from this event was truly remarkable. In 2003, when I had the opportunity to be trained in CISM and join a team myself, I jumped at the chance to help others as I had been helped.
For the last 5 years, I have served as a team leader of my district CISM team and as a member of the county team as well. During that time, I have sought out additional training, and am now an approved CISM instructor. I also have a specialized training certificate in crisis response for schools & children. I have responded to events including homicide, suicide, sudden death of students, non-fatal and fatal car accidents, and public health threats. I was recently named the first Training Coordinator for the Ann Arbor Public Schools' CISM teams. I am passionate in my belief that everyone deserves a helping hand in recovering from traumatic incidents, and that early, skilled help can return organizations to their "new normal."
I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my husband and two children. In addition to my work in CISM, I am the author of Across the Chasm: A Caregiver's Story (2002: BMT Information Network, Highland Park, IL) which chronicles my experiences caring for my husband during his recovery from a bone marrow transplant in 1999.
I had my first experience with trauma and crisis response not as a responder, but as a traumatized person. In 2000, a 5th grade student at the school where I was a teacher was murdered. My school was fortunate to have a partnership with a nearby mental health service, and a trained Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team was deployed to our school. The difference they made in the functioning of the school and in the recovery of children, staff and parents from this event was truly remarkable. In 2003, when I had the opportunity to be trained in CISM and join a team myself, I jumped at the chance to help others as I had been helped.
For the last 5 years, I have served as a team leader of my district CISM team and as a member of the county team as well. During that time, I have sought out additional training, and am now an approved CISM instructor. I also have a specialized training certificate in crisis response for schools & children. I have responded to events including homicide, suicide, sudden death of students, non-fatal and fatal car accidents, and public health threats. I was recently named the first Training Coordinator for the Ann Arbor Public Schools' CISM teams. I am passionate in my belief that everyone deserves a helping hand in recovering from traumatic incidents, and that early, skilled help can return organizations to their "new normal."
I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my husband and two children. In addition to my work in CISM, I am the author of Across the Chasm: A Caregiver's Story (2002: BMT Information Network, Highland Park, IL) which chronicles my experiences caring for my husband during his recovery from a bone marrow transplant in 1999.
Naomi Zikmund-Fisher Training Seminar Schedule
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