Psychological Risk Management
Jeff Baierlein
Risk management trainings often address physical safety issues, but pay less attention to psychological stress injury, exclusion, and related harms.
We’ll introduce basic psychological risk management concepts, define psychological safety, explore its connection to equity and inclusion, and introduce general principles of supporting psychological safety. We’ll also look at good practice for psychological first response for acute psychological stress incidents.
Participants will:
- Understand what psychological risk management and psychological safety are
- Understand where psychological risk management and DEI do and do not overlap
- Recognize the value of psychological risk management
- Learn about field steps for supporting psychological safety, including expectation-setting, coaching and training, use of operational structures, and appropriate application of reasonable and related consequences
- Understand how managerial structures (in marketing, enrollment, and program design, among others) support psychological safety
- Learn where they can go for additional training on psychological risk management
About Jeff
Jeff Baierlein has 39 years of professional experience in risk management for outdoor and experiential education programs, in roles ranging from wilderness expedition leader to Executive Director at Outward Bound. Jeff directs the consultancy Viristar, providing safety, curriculum design, strategy consulting, training and accreditation services to wilderness, outdoor and travel-based programs worldwide. He is the author of Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure.
Jeff has led and directed wilderness expeditions and outdoor programs in mountaineering, sailing, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, flatwater canoeing, backpacking, sea kayaking, vertical caving, high ropes challenge course, service learning, whitewater canoeing, international cultural exchange, and technical canyoneering. He has worked as an EMT with multiple ambulance services and been a member of backcountry, high angle, and technical Search and Rescue groups in New Hampshire, Washington state, and Arizona USA, leading rescues in North America and Asia.
Jeff is a keynote speaker on topics ranging from safety in outdoor and experiential programs to diversity, equity and inclusion. He has provided incident reviews and safety audits (risk management reviews) for wilderness, outdoor and travel-based programs, and provided consulting, accreditation and training services for experiential adventure and outdoor learning programs in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
Jeff is an adventure safety expert witness and the former Executive Director of both the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education and Outward Bound Baltimore Chesapeake Bay. He has served on numerous Boards of Directors.
Jeff has given presentations in 17 countries, where his work has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Marathi, Russian, and Vietnamese. He has degrees in Environmental Education and Human Development from Prescott College, and a Master’s of Science in Management from Antioch University-Seattle. Jeff lives in Seattle, Washington, USA.
