Designed to prevent psychological damage associated with critical incidents and developed by Jeff Mitchell, PhD and George S. Everly PhD, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is a comprehensive, integrative, multicomponent crisis intervention system including Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD).
Critical Incidents are defined as any event that might threaten physical or emotional safety or that result in physical or emotional harm.
Some of the more common effects of a Critical Incident are:
- Numbness or shock
- Difficulty eating and/or sleeping
- Work absences
- Disordered substance use
- Relationship difficulties
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Life-disturbing emotions and other psychological reactions, ie anger, denial, self-harm, grief, confusion, survivor guilt, blame, poor concentration, flashbacks, etc.
Critical Incident Stress Management is not psychotherapy. Involving emotional processing and psycho-education, CISM is a type of crisis intervention intended as support for those who have experienced traumatic events. CISM can be implemented on-site and off-site with individuals, families, small functional groups, organizations and communities.
Critical Incident Stress Management is designed to:
- Reduce the impact of the critical incident
- Normalize instinctive reactions to the incident
- Encourage a natural recovery process
- Restore adaptive functioning skills of the person and/or group
- Determine the need for further supportive services and/or resources
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is also not psychotherapy. For maximum effectiveness, on-site CISD is facilitated with larger groups and within the first 24-48 hours of a traumatic event.
It is designed to:
- Lessen the impact of the traumatic event
- Aid in recovery and resiliency
- Enhance understanding of how a critical incident naturally impacts people
- Build coping skills
- Identify people who may benefit from additional psychological assistance
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is not intended to replace psychotherapy. In fact, one purpose of CISD is to identify people who may benefit from counseling and/or treatment. It is through the debriefing process that an individual can be provided referrals to professional care.
The Psychotherapy and Training Collective of New York (PTCNY) is an alliance of mental health professionals licensed for independent private practice in New York and other states.
We are also a psychotherapy resource for our readers in providing workshops and articles on various topics pertinent to our field.
Finding a therapist should not be a challenge. PTCNY provides many convenient ways to find a therapist, including searching by Name/Specialty, Areas of Specialization and Geographic Area.
Find a PTCNY Therapist to help with critical incident stress management & debriefing
PTCNY offers a broad range of therapists with many specialties. Below is a curated list of PTCNY therapists who specialize in helping individuals facing critical incident stress management & debriefing challenges.