Introduction to Critical Incident Stress Debriefing for Disaster Responders
Target Audience
Hospital staff, mental health professionals, Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, Department of Health Services staff, and skilled nursing facility professionals.
This course is not currently scheduled.
Course Description
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is a process that prevents or limits the development of post-traumatic stress in people exposed to critical incidents. Professionally conducted debriefings help people cope with, and recover from an incident's after-effects. CISD enables participants to understand that they are not alone in their reactions to a distressing event, and provides them with an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a controlled, safe environment. Optimally, CISD occurs within 24 to 72 hours of an incident.
This workshop reviews the basics of CISD, and describes why it is an essential tool in supporting disaster service workers, Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and emergency responders following a critical incident. The workshop also reviews core components of crisis intervention, and describes stress management techniques. Participants will watch a brief 15 minute presentation on CISD, and then be invited to participate in a role-play of a CISD session with a group of disaster service workers. The workshop concludes with a review of key elements of CISD.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Explain the purpose of CISD
- List three reasons CISD is necessary in the aftermath of disaster
- Discuss the core components of crisis interventions and Critical Incident Stress Management
- Explain the importance of self-care and buddy-care in disasters