Our goal is to have a healthy community of emergency responders who have tools to manage stress and receive support. We provide: pre-incident training, on-site support, psychological first aid, debriefing, peer-to-peer support, and continuing care referrals.
Pre-incident training
Educating teams before critical incidents equips emergency service agencies with the skills to recognize and understand the signs and symptoms of critical incident stress. Training also provides agencies with resources and practical tips for coping with stress.
On-site support
Critical incident stress management begins at the scene through onsite support and demobilization. We provide support to individuals, victims, and survivors who are showing obvious signs of stress as well as providing advice and counsel for command staff.
Psychological first aid
Defusings are conducted when individuals are displaying signs of stress immediately after an incident. The first responder discusses the incident, and our team members provide basic information on the signs of critical incident stress and practical stress management tips.
Debriefing
The Critical Incident Stress Debriefings are a confidential way for individuals to discuss their personal incident as it relates to their thoughts, perceptions, and feelings, in order to reduce stress. They normally take place 24-72 hours after the incident and consist of peers and mental health professionals specially trained by the Metro CISM Team.
Peer-to-peer support
Metro CISM Team members provide trained supportive listening and offer assistance in developing and maintaining coping mechanisms. These meetings are typically one-on-one and completed in a location comfortable to the individual.
Continued care referral
If critical incident stress levels require professional assistance, the Metro CISM Team provides additional resources and referrals for people interested in professional help.
