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Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)
A comprehensive system used to address a vast array of critical incidents.
A compassionate and respectful approach to individuals and teams following a critical incident.
Leadership is about empathy and the ability to demonstrate compassion. At its core, compassion is empathy in action, which creates healthier workplaces and lower levels of stress and absenteeism.
About CISM
Critical incidents are defined as events outside of the individual's normal experience and have the capacity to cause a reaction within the individual.
The Critical Incident Stress Management system is designed to:
- Lessen the impact of the critical incident
- Normalize instinctive reactions to the incident
- Encourage the natural recovery process
- Restore the person or group's adaptive functioning skills
CISM has multiple components that can be used before, during and after a crisis.
Pre Crisis Preparation
This component involves helpful procedures that encourage building resilience, crisis intervention education, and strategic planning.
Community Support Programs
Often referred to as "town meetings", these programs support organizations, schools, and communities by providing structured opportunities for discussion and processing of disasters or critical incidents.
Safer-R Model of Assisting Individuals
The one-on-one intervention is the foundation of the overall model. Having a deliberate, compassionate conversation with a person who has experienced trauma is the key to building trust and helping someone cope. The one-on-one conversation is key to an effective CISM program as it is the intervention that is used most often.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)
CISD is one component of the CISM crisis intervention system. Because critical incident stress management originated with the development of the CISD technique, the two terms are sometimes confused. CISD is not meant to be used as standalone intervention, but rather as a CISM technique for use only with groups. This seven-phase intervention attempts to mitigate traumatic stress, determine the need for further emotional support, and promote a sense of psychological closure about an incident.
Defusing
This three-phase technique is similar to CISD in that it is a group intervention, but it is more immediate in nature. Intended to take place within hours of the event, defusing involves confidential discussion groups that promote stabilization and mitigation of traumatic stress reactions.