What is the Metro CISM Team?
The Metro Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team is a non-profit organization. We provide the services describe here at no cost to any emergency personnel in the seven county metropolitan area.
Our members represent the people we serve. Our volunteer peer support personnel are all emergency service personnel. Each is rigorously screened through an application, interview and testing process. Every peer support team member has completed a 60 hour training in providing peer support, crisis intervention and CISM.
A cadre of volunteer mental health professionals augments the service provided by the Metro CISM Team. Each has completed specialized training in CISM and is required to learn about the needs and stress involved in emergency service work through "ride alongs" and special study.
Benefits of CISM
Emergency Service Personnel experience more traumatic events than the general public as "part of the job" and generally cope very well. However, some situations may invoke strong reactions in even the most experienced staff.
CISM promotes the return to normal functioning more quickly and more completely than coping with a critical incident without assistance.
Funding
CISM promotes the return to normal functioning more quickly and more completely than coping with a critical incident without assistance.Financial support may be forwarded to Attention: The Metro CISM Team, 4306 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55409
Funding for the Metro Region CISM Team is provided, in part, through the Metro Region EMS Committee/Metropolitan Emergency Services Board, The Fairview Foundation, The Minnesota State Patrol, North Memorial Community Foundation and other emergency service departments and agencies.
Services
Peer Support: Short Term informal 1:1 peer support & referral assistance for any emergency service personnel, their spouse or
Defusing: informal 1:1 or group discussion provided 2 - 4 hours after an incident, focused on immediate reactions and education.
Debriefing: formal group discussion provided 2 - 4 hours after an incident; psychological and educational process designed to lessen the impact of a critical incident.
Demobilization: brief ongoing defusing as personnel are released from a major prolonged incident.
On-Site Stress Management: provided during prolonged mass casualty incidents.
Awareness Training
Special pre-incident awareness education programs of 1 - 2 hours are available to educate personnel about critical incident stress, services the Metro CISM Team provides and effective coping strategies for managing emergency service stress. To arrange a training for your agency or to get more information about the Team; call (612) 924-0109.
A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is designed to help in coping with normal stress reactions in an effort to reduce or prevent burnout or stress related problems.
A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is:
A structured group process led by a Team of trained emergency service peer support personnel and a mental health professional.
Safe and private.
Limited to emergency service personnel who were directly involved in the incident.
Not a critique.
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Usually done between 24 and 72 hours after the incident.
How does a CISD help?
Reduces the impact of critical incident stress.
Reduces isolation by interaction with others who were involved.
Provides an environment to talk about a difficult situation without judgement or critique.
Normalizes, through education, about stress reactions.
May help prevent delayed psychological problems.
Improves coping skills for future incidents.
Accelerates the recovery process
What is a Critical Incident?
Any traumatic event that is outside the usual range of human experience. These events have the potential of causing traumatic stress reactions that may impair cognitive, emotional or behavioral function at the scene or later. For instance:
Line of Duty Death
Child's death/trauma
Mass casualty incident
Use of deadly force
Fire death
Several critical events over a period of time
Suicide of co-worker
Incidents that atrract extremely unusual or critical news media coverage.
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is designed to accelerate normal recovery, in normal people, having normal reactions to totally abnormal events.