International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
By: Michael Verano
In both March and April of this year, I had the opportunity to join members of the Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program (VALEAP) in proving CISM support to the Capitol police after the events of January 6th and the incident involving the death of an officer on April 3rd. Our team spent a total of five days during the two events meeting with officers on the perimeter, inside the Capitol and at the Communications building. During the time we practiced what I came to call the “walkabout” method of individual crisis intervention.
As is often the case in delivering CISM services, I had many questions about the nature of our work once we landed at the Capitol. How would we be received, how can we engage officers, who, due to shortages and increased demands, would still be on duty? Since it would be two months since the January assault on the Capitol, I wondered if anyone would still want to talk about that day. What were the chances that they were “CISMed out” and our best efforts would fall on deaf ears? Not only were these questions answered, but the experiences were also so productive that I count both deployments as the most professionally satisfying in my 37 years of experience in the mental health field.
As the lone mental health practitioner in the group of retired and active police officers, I was cautious to not take the lead as we got started introducing ourselves—which began according to CISM protocol by taking care of basic needs—dropping off donuts and coffee to the officers guarding the perimeter gates. Once inside the Capitol building our team split up in teams of two and began moving around the empty halls of congress in search of officers at their posts.
Far from being weary of peer support, we found the officers eager to talk about the experiences on the days of both events and their reactions since those times. Much like the best-case scenarios practiced in CISM classes, with little prompting—a few closed and open-ended questions—we heard detailed stories of life before and after these tragic events.
Keeping to the policy of the confidentiality of peer interactions, I can’t share the specific details of those discussions, but I can say that the themes we heard were what one would expect after such an event in a highly visible and unique setting. Among the themes was the gratitude for those peer support members who had been showing up in waves and reminding the officers that they were not alone in their struggles.
Important take-aways from both events for me, both as a peer support team member and approved CISM instructor who has trained and supports several teams across Virginia, include:
The unique nature of the critical incidents experienced, not only by the officers involved but by those of us who watched these tragic events take place at the seat of democracy, made for a peer intervention unlike any of us have attended in the past. Personally, it felt rewarding to give back to those who protected our nation on those fateful days and honor those who did not survive.
Copyright © 2025 International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc is a 501(c)3 Non Profit