The death of an employee, a suicide in the workplace, an armed robbery, a violent event at the work-site; these are all examples of what can be called a "critical incident." These types of situations can have a profoundly negative effect on a work unit and the individual employees involved. These "negative effects" include such things as an increase in anxiety, physiological reactions such as shaking, crying, headaches, a change in sleeping and eating patterns, as well as other depressive symptoms. Other reactions that affect the workplace are lowered motivation and an inability to concentrate. That is why, more than ever, employers understand the benefit of holding a group Critical Incident Stress Debriefing in the workplace for the employees involved.

A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing or CISD is an educational and supportive group session where the incident and negative reactions are discussed. These negative symptoms are normalized for the individuals, and coping skills on critical incident stress management and grief and loss are reviewed. Research indicates that when individuals are given the opportunity to participate in a CISD soon after a traumatic event, they are much less likely to develop any long-standing "post traumatic stress" problems. These individuals simply are better able to work through the negative feelings, thoughts, and reactions much sooner than they would have otherwise.

About COPE's Experience

COPE's staff have extensive training and experience in providing CISD services as developed by Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Specifically, COPE has provided CISD services to a number of diverse work populations such as:

• Banks, Credit Unions, and U.S. Post Offices after robberies,
• Emergency Service and Law Enforcement Personnel after rescue operations,
• Police Officers after shooting incidents,
• Federal and Private sector employees after employee deaths -- including suicide, and other violent episodes,
• Federal employees after security threats.

COPE also believes that to maximize the potential of CISD services for special populations, extensive "Critical Incident Stress Management" (CISM) services should be implemented. These include not simply group debriefings, but an entire program which includes:

• Educational workshops on critical incident stress,
• Trainings for employees and managers on how to recognize critical incident stress reactions,
• Trainings for employees and managers on how to utilize CISM services,
• The development of a peer support program where employees are trained on how to assist their co-workers in these situations.

With this in mind, COPE successfully developed a Critical Incident and Peer Support Program for the National Park Service and U.S. Park Police to assist in traumatic emergency situations.