International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
By: Dan Haifley, Th.D., D.D., H.D.
In early 2001, our baby girl was born. She was such a ray of sunshine and I wanted to protect her in every way I could. I would hold her and rock her to sleep every night in my great-grandfathers creaking, rocking chair. She was our third child. Her two older brothers, ages 3 and 4, were rambunctious little country boys who spent their days outdoors with the frogs and worms, and general stretched their mother’s patience to its breaking point on a regular basis. I was pastoring a small country church and had recently made steps to form a chaplain corps for my local police department.
One Sunday evening, as I arrived at our church to begin the evening service, a police car alive with flashing lights and sirens, came sliding into our gravel parking lot throwing stones everywhere. A young police officer from our local department jumped from the driver’s seat and said, “Chaplain you are needed. Hurry, I will take you there.” I quickly informed my wife and asked her to tell my assistant to take over the evening service, and without any further preparation I joined the young officer in the patrol car and together we frantically made our way to whatever emergency was demanding our presence.
After a breathtaking fifteen-minute drive down back country roads we arrived at an archery range. Quickly, extracting ourselves from the vehicle we approached groups of people wailing in uncontrollable grief. Trying to take in the scene and figure out just what had happened I turned to a seasoned officer only to see tears streaming down his face. He pointed through the open door of the archery range. I made my way in to find the coroner and one or two other officers huddled around a small child. The 13-month-old had accompanied his 19-year-old father to the archery range that fateful day. His 16-year-old mother had stayed home to enjoy some peace and quiet. The little guy proved too much for the young father to keep track of. Once inside the range he dashed away from his dad and ran laughing down to the end of the range where the targets were propped against the wall. As dad came chasing after him, he started climbing one of the targets which proved to be loose from its anchors. As his dad watched in frantic horror and disbelief the target slowly wobbled and then collapsed in slow motion on top of the little boy. The young father reached the scene and attempted to pull the target off his son only to find that the target had crushed his little head.
I stumbled out of the dimly lit range and joined the officers outside in stunned silence. They directed me to the mother, father, grandparents and an assortment of friends. I was the one who was supposed to know what to say. I was there to comfort, to direct, to give guidance………but I did not know what to say. All my training in theology and pastoral work did not prepare me for that day. When I returned home to my young family, I stood and stared at my kids. I picked up my little girl and hugged her tight. I looked at my boys wrestling on the floor, and I cried.
The next day began my search for someone to teach me what to say and do in moments like this. A few months later, I watched along with all America as the World Trade Center collapsed in New York City. We listened to the news outlets as they warned us of the possibility of more attacks across America. I knew I had to prepare myself better for trauma and critical situations. Within the next few months, I learned of ICISF and Critical Incident Debriefing. I began researching the subject and reading everything I could find out about it. I gathered the ministers in my town together and told them all about what I had found. The next year I became the Senior Chaplain for the county sheriff’s department. We decided to require all of our chaplains to take C.I.S.M. training through the International Conference of Police Chaplains, and then in 2004, I had the privilege of hosting some very capable International Critical Incident Stress Foundation instructors through the Elkhart County Sheriff’s department in conjunction with the Elkhart County Emergency Management Agency of Indiana. I received my first ICISF CISM training that year and officially joined the ICISF organization.
For the past several years I have had the opportunity to help hundreds of people with the things I have learned through many training sessions with ICISF and ICPC. Once I shared the debriefing techniques with a man who was having difficulty in his marriage. I explained to him that he needed to really listen to his distraught wife and shared with him the CISM debriefing techniques so that he would know how to ask her the right questions leading her to express herself completely. They are still happily married.
Following the Civil War in Sierra Leone, West Africa, I was asked by the Army of the Republic of Sierra Leone in 2009 and 2010 to train their chaplains. The trauma they were dealing with in the aftermath of that horrible war (featured in the movie “Blood Diamonds”), was mind blowing. However, I found the simple techniques of Critical Incident Defusing and Debriefing gave them some solace and confidence in the challenges they were facing. Hundreds from multiple agencies came hungry to find how to help those around them bound in the clutches of trauma.
More recently, our local high school experienced a shooting in the cafeteria. A very alert teacher was able to wrestle the gun away from the shooter before anyone was killed, but the event left teachers and students struggling. Being one of the very few in the area trained in Critical Incident Debriefing, I was called upon to assist the administration, the teachers and some students. Again, gathering the ministers of this town together I found them very receptive to learning anything that would help then know what to say. Not being an official ICISF instructor I was not able to certify them officially, so I just showed them what I had learned and then together we ministered to our town.
Currently, I am developing yet another CISM team at the Sara Bush Lincoln Hospital in Mattoon, IL. For many years we have seen how that first responders, policemen, firemen, and soldiers have needed the help given by the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing techniques. However, in the past few years it has become apparent that health care professionals are experiencing a level of trauma that has gone unnoticed in many of the hospitals and clinics across America. Because of HIPAA laws nurses can not share their trauma with anyone. They must keep it quiet. It becomes bottled up resulting in the average ER nurse lasting less than two years in the Emergency room. Then…..enters the ever moving target, COVID-19. Now isolation is coupled with isolation and nurses are breaking down with emotional difficulties. Most hospitals offer some sort of counseling, but it often takes weeks to get an appointment. Sometimes, mental surgery might be needed, but most of the time an emotional bandage can slow or stop the issue. That is what I see CISD doing for the Health Care Professionals.
My baby girl is now grown. She was recently engaged to be married to a fine young veteran. I have shared with her how to help him if he ever struggles from the aftermath of his service. Both of my sons are grown and married. They have both sat with me and assisted during debriefing sessions and witnessed how Critical Incident Stress Management has helped people struggling with trauma. My wonderful wife of 26 years is trained in CISM and has used it to help me in times when we have been called on to help in traumatic events. She has also been able to help me deal with some of the aftermath of Critical situations my chaplain work has brought be through.
I have seen it work repeatedly in multiple situations and countless lives. Thank you ICISF for providing such a powerful resource. I only wish that I had learned about it earlier so that I could have helped that young couple who lost their son early in 2001.
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