Welcome to this new web site hosted by the Bay Area CISM Team. Our goal in creating this site is to exchange ideas and information about critical incident stress management. Our hope is that it can help our Bay Area and other CISM teams coordinate and share with each other. The idea for this site came from our recognition that we get a lot of practical advice from one another in team meetings, which we’d like to share with other teams.
Some of the kinds of information we expect to share here include:
- Tips for doing debriefings – what works, what doesn’t
- News about CISM, especially in the Bay Area and California
- Training opportunities
This site is open to postings and comments from anyone who is participating in CISM. We only ask that you register and identify your experience, training and affiliations before posting. All postings will be reviewed for appropriateness. It is absolutely essential that all postings respect the confidentiality of debriefings – we can talk about what we have learned, but only while making certain we are not disclosing information we received in confidence. If you have any doubt about permission to share something, please don’t. Remember that sometimes even the fact that we did a debriefing is confidential.
This site is not intended to teach anybody how to do debriefings – that requires face-to-face training. If you haven’t received training from an accredited organization, we urge you to do so before getting involved in CISM.
The Bay Area CISM Team is made up of former and present first responders, counselors, therapists and others who have been trained by the Centre for Living with Dying, the ICISF or other accredited CISM training organization. The tips and techniques on this site are based on their collective experience and wisdom. Feel free to add your tips and thoughts in comments.