Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) American Military University Daytona Beach Police Department Chuck Russo, PhD Carrie Courtney, RCSWI

CISM • Definition of a Critical Incident • The Role of CISM • What CISM Does Not Do • How CISM Helps the First Responder Return

Definition of a Critical Incident A critical incident is defined as: • A sudden or disturbing event • That generates a strong emotional and cognitive reaction

Critical Incidents Examples encountered in may include: • Officer involved shootings • Line of duty injuries • Line of duty deaths • Incidents when a child is a victim • Incidents involving death/serious injury to others • Disasters • Employee suicide

What is CISM CISM is: • Early psychological support for First Responders

Goals of CISM • To mitigate the impact of the event • Facilitate normal recovery processes • Restoration to adaptive function

Role of CISM To provide: • Temporary • Active • Supportive • Confidential Assistance to aid the individual in crisis

What CISM Does Not Do CISM is NOT a function of/to: • Professional standards/internal affairs • Determine fitness for duty • Determine if policy was followed • Determine if state law was followed • Pass judgment on someone’s actions

How CISM Helps First Responders CISM helps by providing: • One-on-one peer support • Demobilization of information • Crisis management briefings • Defusing • Critical incident stress debriefings

One-on-One Peer Support Peer support is provided to individuals: • Mitigate symptoms • Return to previous level of functioning • Provide referrals if needed

Responding to Critical Incidents This occurs: • At anytime post crisis • To inform and consult • Provide psychological decompression • Stress management • Typically occurs in large groups/organizations

Defusing This occurs: • Post crisis (within a12 hour time period) • To address symptom mitigation • To assist with providing possible closure • Triage of services and presenting symptoms • Typically occurs in small groups

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing This occurs: • Post crisis (occurs within 1-10 days, 3-4 weeks following mass disasters) • Facilitates psychological closure • To address symptom mitigation • Triage of services and presenting symptoms • Typically occurs in small groups

CISM • Is for the employee experiencing a normal reaction to an abnormal event • Is to help the employee recover quicker from such an event • Is temporary, active and supportive • Is confidential

Questions Questions concerning CISM should be directed to: Daytona Beach Police Department CISM Team Chuck Russo, PhD 386-527-2462 russoc@dbpd.us Carrie Kahn Courtney, RCSWI 386-671-5418 courtneyc@dbpd.us

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)