ISBN: 978-1-943001-42-2
PUBLICATION ON AUGUST 31!
In the moments when everything falls apart, what do you say? What do you do? Who do you become?
In CISM Back Pocket Skills, Peter Volkmann draws from a lifetime of personal struggle and frontline crisis intervention to answer those questions with clarity, honesty, and compassion.
Rooted in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Volkmann blends science, storytelling, and hard-earned wisdom to explore how humans think, feel, and survive in crisis, and how helpers can guide them toward recovery. Each chapter offers practical tools you can carry with you into the most difficult conversations.
This book is a call to purpose, emphasizing hope, gratitude, spiritual strength, and the simple truth that no one heals alone. Whether you are a first responder, clinician, peer supporter, or someone seeking to better understand crisis, these back pocket skills will help you make a difference—one person, one moment, one skill at a time.
Pre-order now for an automatic delivery upon publication!
PUBLICATION ON AUGUST 31!
CISM Back Pocket Skills by Peter Volkmann, MSW, CCISM, is a practical and compassionate guide for anyone helping people through crisis. Drawing on decades of experience in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Volkmann combines real-world stories, actionable techniques, and timeless insights to help readers better understand trauma, recovery, resilience, and the human response to adversity.
Covering topics such as PTSD, compassion fatigue, crisis intervention, hope, gratitude, spiritual connection, and emotional recovery, this book provides accessible “back pocket skills” that can be applied immediately in the field or in everyday life. Whether you are a first responder, healthcare professional, peer supporter, chaplain, counselor, leader, or caregiver, you will find practical tools to support others—and yourself—during life’s most challenging moments.
More than a professional resource, CISM Back Pocket Skills is a reminder that healing begins with human connection, compassionate presence, and the courage to walk alongside others in crisis.
Key Topics include:
• Understanding the mind in crisis
• PTSD and trauma recovery
• Compassion fatigue and resilience
• Hope, gratitude, and spiritual strength
• Crisis intervention and peer support skills
• Building meaningful connections during recovery
Perfect for: First responders, peer support teams, healthcare professionals, behavioral health practitioners, chaplains, crisis responders, educators, and anyone committed to helping others navigate difficult life experiences.
Pre-order now for an automatic delivery upon publication!
Peter Volkmann, MSW, CCISM graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Mercy College and received his master’s in social work from Fordham University. Peter is a faculty member for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) in Maryland and received the ICISF Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and the ICISF Co-Founders Award in 2025 in recognition of his accomplishments internationally in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). Because of his vast experience in the different rescue fields and the social work profession, Peter is in high demand as a crisis interventionist and trainer for rescue departments, government municipalities, schools, and corporate organizations around the United States. Applying his decades of professional knowledge and experience, while integrating his personal skills in overcoming the challenges and difficulties he faced over his lifetime, Peter has developed seminars focusing on foundational crisis skills and strengths for recovery from deep life crises.