A “critical incident” is any event that has the potential of causing an unusually strong, intense, or lasting emotional reaction. The severity of this event is such that its impact may interfere with one’s ability to cope or function after the incident.

Examples of critical incidents include events such as:

• Witnessing or knowing of the death or injury of a co-worker
• Being witness to an armed robbery
• Witnessing any event which is extremely macabre or grotesque
• Experiencing a near death or close-call incident

Critical incidents are very likely to have an impact on the functioning of a business or organization and, if left untreated, may result in expensive personnel problems and deteriorated workplace functioning.

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is a specific intervention designed to assist those impacted by a critical incident. The CISD assists all impacted by the critical incident process the event and work toward coping strategies that are more likely to be helpful and healthy for the individual and the company/organization.

Wellplace provides a variety of CISD services. These range from individual telephone contacts with impacted personnel to in-person on-site debriefings involving entire organizations. Wellplace also provides training to managers on CISD facilitation procedures and practices.

The benefits of CISD’s are well documented. When unfortunate events occur the CISD intervention represents a tremendous support option for all involved and will help minimize adverse impact to the organization’s overall functioning & bottom line.