Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Training

Why is this critical incident stress debriefing training essential?

Following a critical incident, employers and employees are often ill-equipped to handle the chaos of such a catastrophic event like workplace violence, self-harm or suicide. Consequently, those affected by such an event often struggle to regain control of their lives or to regain a sense of normality. Many who have been traumatised by a critical event may eventually need professional attention and care for weeks, months and possibly years to come. The final extent of any traumatic event may never be known or realistically estimated in terms of loss, bereavement, mourning and grief. In the aftermath of any critical incident, psychological reactions are quite common and are often predictable.

What is a Critical Incident?

Within the context of social and residential care, a “critical incident” is a sudden death in the line of carrying out daily duties, serious injury, a physical or psychological threat to the safety or wellbeing of an individual, self-harm, suicide or attempted suicide. Moreover, a critical incident can involve any situation or event faced by employees that causes a distressing, dramatic or profound change or disruption in their physical (physiological) or psychological functioning.

What is Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)

Debriefing is a specific technique designed to assist others in dealing with the physical or psychological symptoms that are generally associated with trauma exposure.

Debriefing allows those involved with the incident to process the event and reflect on its impact.

Defusing, another component of CISD, allows for the ventilation of emotions and thoughts associated with the crisis event. Debriefing and defusing should be provided as soon as possible but typically no longer than the first 24 to 72 hours after the initial impact of the critical event.

This training will provide the basis for understanding the need for Debriefing and will focus on the following steps:

• Assess the impact of the incident.
• Identify immediate issues involving safety and security.
• Use of defusing to allow for the ventilation of thoughts, emotions, and experiences associated with the event and provide validation of possible reactions.
• Dealing with the aftermath of the event
• Begin a systematic review of the incident and its impact on employees and service users.
• Bring closure to the incident and to ground employees and service users to start the rebuilding process.
• To assist the re-entry process back into the workplace or living space.

Additional Information:

All our courses are person centred and will implement your policies & procedures when requested.  Training will be delivered at a venue of  your choice

*Quoted costs include all expenses as well as handouts (factsheets), case studies, group discussions and group work, practical session and competency frameworks where applicable.

We will request additional training needs information in order for the trainer to have a better understanding of your reasons for booking the training and what outcomes you would like from the session/s.

Key benefits of our onsite trainers:

• Every Tidal trainer has a professional teaching qualification and they are chosen for their specialist knowledge in different subjects. 
• Most of our trainers are qualified RMN or RGN nurses, paramedics, ex military and emergency service personnel.
• All trainers bring their own equipment to use onsite.
• We will include your policies and procedures to bespoke the sessions for you.
• Trainers ensure that sessions are fun and fit for purpose including case studies.