International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
By: Paul Schmidt, ICISF Member since 2012
I have gained a lot of insight from the ICISF, and I appreciate these courses as an important part of training as we educate our volunteers and staff in compassionate response to people who have experienced extremely difficult occurrences.
I was first trained in the CISM model over 15 years ago, and it was an eye opener to what people experience in these difficult times. The pieces about what to say, and what not to say, are valuable when responding to anyone who has experienced an abnormal event. The practical application of scenarios and practicing what we have learned in mock situations is often a piece that people are uncomfortable with, but it is a great way to have the opportunity to prepare without the real life pressure of working through the trauma.
I work as a Victim Services Coordinator, and we are police based here in Alberta, meaning that our office is in the Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We of course respond to every form of crime, and work with victims and their families to try to assist in the hours after, the long period of healing that follows, while also supporting them through the steps that come after charges are laid. I work with many people who have been traumatized by a crime, and the further traumatic potential of the court process, findings, and the self healing that is so important. Individuals who have lost a loved one to a traumatic event, a suicide, accident, natural causes, surviving a motor vehicle collision, or surviving a mental health crisis, are able to benefit from the compassionate response, given to trauma survivors.
I am also often involved in CISM responses with our Fire Department, Parks Canada Rescue staff, or Ski Patrollers, who are involved in the frontline response to tragedy. The CISM Team here in Jasper National Park consists of Greg Van Tighem our Fire Chief, Ryan Verge who is a therapist with AB Mental Health, and myself with Jasper Victim Services. The Mandate of the Jasper CISM Team: The primary purpose of the team is to provide education regarding critical incident stress (CIS) to emergency service workers. The secondary purpose is to minimize the harmful effects of job stress, particularly in crisis or emergency situations. Through critical incident stress management (CISM), the team provides emergency personnel a tool to alleviate potential stress related symptoms. It is not the function of the team to provide on-going professional counseling, but to provide immediate crisis intervention.
Many firefighters, as well as Victim Services Advocates have participated in the CISM training courses that we have offered over the years. We never promote our Team’s response as anything more than an invitation to begin to deal with the possible stressors, and the natural reactions that any of us may have to what they have experienced. We are always conscious to let participants in responses know that we as a team do not pretend to have all the answers, or possess any way to make them all feel better. However, in reality, I do see these interventions as an essential way to open conversations, identify with others, and to take away information that will help them move forward. I have had feedback on many occasions that people have appreciated our efforts, and ability to bring them together, and if that is at least a starting point, I believe that we are on the right track.
I have taken several of the available ICISF courses, and we have hosted training in our community of Jasper multiple times, with Group Intervention, Individual Peer Support, Application with Children, and Suicide Intervention and Postvention. I have a Certificate of Specialized Training in the field of Spiritual Care in Crisis Intervention, and while this is not a credential that speaks to my ability to respond to Critical Incidents, the required courses are of great value to me. I attempt to let these principles guide my response to victims of crime and trauma. The people that we work with have the same potential impacts in the areas of emotional, physical, behavioral, and cognitive responses, whether their trauma was caused by a crime, or a trauma. The assistance that we provide moving forward is a trauma informed response, always with the intention of minimizing harm, and encouraging resilience. We are generalists, so referrals to Mental Health resources are often made to make connections when needed.
This bumper sticker is an initiative that is indicative of our desire for responders, and our entire community to be able to speak up and embrace the assistance that we all need from time to time:
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International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc is a 501(c)3 Non Profit