The
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
(CISD),  developed
by Jeffrey
T. Mitchell, Ph.D., is a group meeting or discussion
about a distressing critical incident. A critical
incident is any event which has a stressful impact
sufficient enough to overwhelm the usually effective coping
skills of either an individual or a group. Providing crisis
intervention and education, the CISD meeting (lasting
approximately one-to-three hours) may reduce the impact
of a critical incident
- is not therapy or substitute
for therapy
- should be applied only by
those who have been specifically trained in its uses
- is a group process, group
meeting, or discussion designed to reduce stress and
enhance recovery from stress. It is based on principles
of crisis intervention and education.
- may not solve all the problems
presented during the brief time-frame available. Sometimes
it may be necessary to refer individuals for treatment
after a debriefing.
- may accelerate the rate of
"normal recovery, in normal people, who are having
normal reactions to abnormal events."
Mitchell,
J.T. & Everly, G.S. (1995). Critical incident
stress debriefing: An operations manual for the prevention
of trauma among emergency service and disaster workers.
(2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Chevron.
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