Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
The appropriate response to a traumatic incident has a significant impact on long-term wellbeing. 💥
What is Critical Incident stress debriefing
A critical incident is a sudden, unforeseen, and overpowering occurrence that falls outside the spectrum of normal human experiences. You may encounter extreme anxiety, helplessness, terror, and a total lack of control. After such an extraordinary occurrence, the majority of people have distressing and challenging reactions.
Managers and coworkers must recognize the importance of initial support in the event of a traumatic incident. How you support and respond to coworkers who have endured a traumatic event can affect the duration and intensity of their symptoms.
Types of Traumatic Incidents
It is possible for a traumatic event to occur in any workplace, regardless of the nature of the job (for example, police work or emergency response). Following a wide variety of potentially traumatic incidents, we have the experience to respond and provide support to your staff following a wide range of potentially traumatic events such as:
- Workplace injury or Death of a colleague
- Workplace suicide or suicide attempt
- Assault or abuse
- Serious illness or Medical diagnosis of a colleague
- Violence, Workplace Conflict or Serious Aggression
- Bullying or Harassment
- Violent Robbery
- Hostage-taking or kidnapping.
- Natural or man-made catastrophes.
Critical Incident Response service.
We have more than two decades of experience as a Critical Incident Response (CIR) provider, providing your team access to a range of trauma response services.
OUR CRITICAL INCIDENT RESPONSE (CIR) SERVICE CAN OFFER:
- Immediate professional psychological support is provided to victims of a distressing workplace event (onsite & offsite)
- After a traumatic workplace incident, workers will receive instruction on how to manage Acute Stress Response and prevent PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
- Short-term monitoring of impacted employees for indicators of stress-related psychological impairment Counseling for PTSD patients or employees affected by trauma or stress
Trauma Response for DP World. Dubai.
Dr John Crimmins with members of staff of DP World at the end of a 5-day training event for Peer support in Critical incidents in the Workplace
Vital Information regarding Traumatic Injury
- Early intervention is practical and effective.
Typically, first support following a traumatic event is restricted to education, brief emotional support, and “psychological first aid. It is relatively Cost-effective.
- Delaying the provision of assistance might be detrimental and costly in the long term
Delaying a mental health response and the delivery of help and monitoring can result in costly treatment in the future, as people suffer preventable psychological injuries.
- Responses to trauma vary widely amongst individuals.
Personal background and temperament are significant factors in responding to stress. You cannot always tell how a person is coping simply on their outward demeanour or behaviour. Frequently, even so-called “strong characters” are susceptible and conceal it effectively, which increases the danger of psychological injury, breakdown, and the need for extended compensation.
- Symptoms of traumatic stress, such as PTSD, manifest some time after the traumatic incident.
Several months after a potentially stressful occurrence, post-traumatic stress can manifest. Do not assume that everyone is fine simply because individuals appear to be coping well. People may be reluctant to express difficulty sometime after the event, and they may attempt to minimize their symptoms to avoid embarrassment and stigma at work. Typically, this will worsen the psychological injury.
- Unchecked and untreated traumatic stress responses might impair the well-being of employees.
This results in decreased production, greater long-term claim expenses, and higher insurance premiums. Both staff and business suffer losses. Therefore, it is crucial that all organizations have the ability to respond quickly to workplace trauma.
It is essential to provide instant support in the form of empathy and encouragement in the first instance. A person who has experienced trauma may require simple acts of compassion from coworkers, time off to recuperate with family and friends, the opportunity to discuss their experience, or gentle assistance to “get back in the saddle.”
Obviously, everyone reacts differently to trauma, and not everyone who encounters trauma will develop traumatic stress. Managers must be aware of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress in order to be on the lookout for them.
Symptoms of Trauma Related Psychological injury
Stress related conditions include common symptoms such as:
- Unusual displays of irritability
- Decreased work performance
- Detachment from social activity or interpersonal interaction
- Conflict with work colleagues
- Increased intake of alcohol or substance abuse
- Melancholy or other depressive symptoms
- Mood swings
- Engaging in dangerous conduct or pursuits
- Disrupted sleep patterns
Note that several of these symptoms are also indicative of broader job-related issues, such as poor workplace performance, interpersonal conflict, problems with management, and medical diseases. Our Employee Assistance Program can assist impacted employees and their supervisors in coping with the effects of stress.
Legal Implications
In a climate when workplace stress claims are on the rise, smart businesses simply cannot afford to overlook the value of a skilled and attentive Critical Incident response service.
