Critical incident stress management (CISM) refers to a group of stress-relieving activities immediately offered to groups and individuals in times of crisis. CISM is intended to prevent those directly affected by a crisis from developing post traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders. CISM intervention is also useful in helping crisis workers and volunteers cope with stressors that accompany their jobs. Critical incident stress management techniques are useful in preparing ahead of time for a crisis, as well as during and after a major incident. These techniques are sometimes taught in clinical psychology settings, as well as in independent training modules.
Those most likely to be trained in critical incident stress management are police and fire rescue teams, as well as mental health professionals hired to work with disaster victims. In many areas, emergency response personnel are mandated to learn methods of critical incident stress management. After initial training, continuing education classes are offered as a way to assure that individuals are well-versed in the latest methods of applying their skills in the community.
Critical incident stress management does not focus solely on helping individuals during the course of a disaster, terrorist attack or other life-altering event. During CISM training, professionals also learn techniques for preparing for possible stress in the future. Such training includes learning how to control stress and how to resist its onset as much as possible as large scale events occur.
During a crisis, CISM team members are able to quickly organize group meetings, mobilize response teams, effectively administer press briefings and work to organize necessary triage centers. In being able to organize and deliver crucial physical and mental health services during a crisis, critical incident stress management professionals are able to provide unique and immediate psychological support. Such is helpful in allowing victims and witnesses to return to a life of normalcy as soon as possible.
After a crisis event, CISM professionals continue to work on minimizing stressful effects by providing individual, conjoint and group counseling services, as well as referrals. Following an intervention by a critical stress management professional or group of professionals, individuals may still experience stress, though often to a lesser degree than would have been experienced without CISM intervention. Therapy, stress medicine and other tools to help a person cope with trauma are likely to still be needed, but critical incident stress management lessens the likelihood and severity of a future anxiety disorder.
