Been in a CISD?

[Siffaliss]

My guess would be to keep the people that are willing to help from airing thier expirences out on a public forum. You know as well as I do that some people would rather die than to admit they have been to one of those. But hey I could be wrong. It gives him a chance to ask a more personal level question and probably get a more honest answer. Based some the replies to other questions about CISD I cant't say as I blame him. Just my two cents worth.

I agree here. Nobody should ever be put down for taking a debrief or be made to feel like it's pointless because it never worked for someone else.

Sometimes the best thing is to sit and vent with your partner about the call. At times however that isn't enough and it doesn't necessarily depend on how communicative your partner is either. Sometimes you just want to digest the information on your own, that's fine too. I've been involved in a couple at my current job (large urban), they are never forced. The supes will generally ask if we want a debrief if we're on a big event, however they don't nag and never force it. They are always receptive when you ask for one and will arrange it as soon as possible, even if you phone after shift. Perhaps I'm lucky there ... they do have protocols to follow with that sort of thing and generally stick to them. Works for me.

Edited November 19, 2009 by Siffaliss

[kevkei]

Consider the fact that all of us that have responded to calls have participated in CISD after the fact, whether formally or informally. Any time you talk about the call, debrief with your partner, share with a spouse, etc, it is a form of CISD.

In a formal setting, the danger with CISM in general is too much emphases on CISD. It is meant to be a debriefing or a means to decompress and share feelings. It is good to understand what it is not. It is NOT counselling, it is NOT therapy, it is NOT a critique of the call, it is NOT the end. Too many times it ends during the CISD and there is no follow up. In the end, it can potentially do more harm than good.

Yes CISM is a good tool to have available, provided the tool is used properly and within its limitations. Unfortunatley, too often I think it is misused. This is a great research topic and I am impressed it is part of your curriculum. Too many programs miss out on the soft skills that we use all the time - compassion, empathy, the grief process, common sense, etc.

[HERBIE1]

Consider the fact that all of us that have responded to calls have participated in CISD after the fact, whether formally or informally. Any time you talk about the call, debrief with your partner, share with a spouse, etc, it is a form of CISD.

Absolutely true. And for many of us, that informal debriefing is all we need, but we all are different. Sometimes you may not feel close enough to your coworkers to share your feelings- you work part time, you are new, or even the folks you work with are not receptive to this idea(that would be a shame). In that case, a CISD would be invaluable to a person who has no one else to talk to.

We all decompress in different ways- talk about what went wrong, what went well, what we could have done better, and the projected outcomes of our patients. This usually happens in one way or another after most calls of any significance. As I said before, even the most routine call can push someone "over the edge", meaning their usual coping mechanisms may not be enough. We need to be vigilant, keep an eye on each other, and note when someone does not seem to be handling a particular situation very well. Nobody understands what our job entails better than our coworkers, and for all we know, someday that person who needs a little extra help may be us.

[Siffaliss]

Consider the fact that all of us that have responded to calls have participated in CISD after the fact, whether formally or informally. Any time you talk about the call, debrief with your partner, share with a spouse, etc, it is a form of CISD.

In a formal setting, the danger with CISM in general is too much emphases on CISD. It is meant to be a debriefing or a means to decompress and share feelings. It is good to understand what it is not. It is NOT counselling, it is NOT therapy, it is NOT a critique of the call, it is NOT the end. Too many times it ends during the CISD and there is no follow up. In the end, it can potentially do more harm than good.

Yes CISM is a good tool to have available, provided the tool is used properly and within its limitations. Unfortunatley, too often I think it is misused. This is a great research topic and I am impressed it is part of your curriculum. Too many programs miss out on the soft skills that we use all the time - compassion, empathy, the grief process, common sense, etc.

Some great points here Kevin. In a more formal debrief, our CISM peers advise us at the start that it isn't counselling or therapy or a critique session or anything of the sort. We are also told that we can follow up with formal counselling, and know that we can contact our CISM peers for more information on it. Again, I think I'm lucky to have the resource available and have the CISM people be respected peers, who have the understanding necessary to do what they do.

I think learning more about CISM should be a part of every paramedic program curriculum, as yes it is a helpful tool when it's needed and it's done properly.

Edited November 19, 2009 by Siffaliss

[slymedic1]

The research shows that CISD on the whole is not recommended because while it may benefit a few, for most it does nothing or actually causes harm! Look for bbledsoe's article on the subject.

Hey Rav, Im curious to know what article it is that you are referring to by bledsoe, I had a conversation with him not a week ago over much of this same topic and the consensus I got was very different. Can you post me a link to that article or maybe some more information as to where I can find it, thanks in advance

[tniuqs]

Hey Rav, Im curious to know what article it is that you are referring to by bledsoe, I had a conversation with him not a week ago over much of this same topic and the consensus I got was very different. Can you post me a link to that article or maybe some more information as to where I can find it, thanks in advance

Hey Sly:

Goggle Bledsoe ... go to "handouts" then open Power Point called "Snake Oil for the Masses".

[RavEMTGun]

Hey Rav, Im curious to know what article it is that you are referring to by bledsoe, I had a conversation with him not a week ago over much of this same topic and the consensus I got was very different. Can you post me a link to that article or maybe some more information as to where I can find it, thanks in advance

Unless he has changed his opinion recently...

[Siffaliss]

"Snake Oil for the Masses".

That's a song.

[Dustdevil]

Unless he has changed his opinion recently...

I can assure all that he has not.

And as one who has been through more critical incidents than possibly any other dozen people here, I agree with him wholeheartedly.

[tniuqs]

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/top-picks/post-traumatic-stress/#clip239150

It appears that Toronto, is addressing this issue in "peer group support" and at the end of the interview note what the good Doctor states.

cheers