We maintain a critical incident debriefing service in the lower half of the North Island that is used by the New Zealand Police and other groups exposed to high levels of situational stress. Following a situation such as a natural disaster, armed hold-up, industrial or other accidents, those involved in the situation can be overwhelmed by the emotional impact of the situation. This can happen regardless of background, gender, age or training and can result in those who have had to deal with the situation.
We believe in the value of critical incident debriefing because individuals often report to us that they have felt as if they were going crazy because of intrusive thoughts about the incident, their becoming irritable or depressed, their withdrawing or developing some unhelpful habits. An early intervention can normalise the situation to some extent and free up emotional resources.
Our clinicians offer a brief program of intervention that is designed to:
The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation has a good web site with some useful resources: http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/default.asp