Have you experienced a stressful event in the course of your work (i.e. violence or incidents involving multiple injuries or death)?
Supporting employees, physicians and volunteers who have had a distressing or overwhelming experience in the course of their work which may cause strong but normal reactions, and has the potential to interfere with the ability to function effectively at work or home. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) support is available 24/7. Requests for CISM should be made by a leader such as CNE, PCC, Manager or above. Individual direct care staff should not be asked to request this service.
To request help, call: 778-717-CISM (2476)
What is a critical incident?
A critical incident is an event that may cause individuals to experience strong reactions and has the potential to interfere with their ability to function effectively either at work or at home. Determination of a critical incident should be based on the incident and the response of individuals to the situation.
Examples of a critical incident:
- Stressful workplace environment
- Aggressive behaviour
- Sudden poor patient outcome
- Injury or death of a co-worker
- Multiple losses
- Suicide
How to know if you’re experiencing critical incident stress?
Critical incidents may produce a wide range of symptoms, which can appear at the time of the incident, a few hours later, or within a few days of the event. Stress symptoms usually occur in four different categories (see below). The longer the symptoms last, the more potential there is for lingering impacts. The following are examples of stress symptoms that may appear after a critical incident:
- Cognitive: Poor concentration, memory problems, poor attention span, difficulties with calculations, difficulty in decision making and slowed problem-solving.
- Emotional: Loss of emotional control, grief, guilt, depression, anxiety, feeling lost or overwhelmed.
- Physical: Muscle tremors, chest pain, headaches, difficulty breathing, gastrointestinal distress and elevated blood pressure.
- Behavioural: Excessive silence, sleep disturbances, unusual behaviour, changes in eating habits, withdrawal from contact and changes in work habits.
How we can support you?
The CISM team will consult with you to provide the appropriate support at the right time for you and your team. Support is available 24/7.
Critical Incident support can:
- Normalize reactions to an abnormal event and help to decrease feelings of isolation and anxiety.
- Return to normal functioning sooner by reducing the potential effects of the incident.
- Decrease the accumulation of stress that can lead to diminished emotional and physical health.
Ongoing education:
Understanding and addressing reactions and spotting signs of distress in others is a crucial skill. Learn how to recognize subtle cues that indicate someone might need psychological first-aid. Click here to learn more about accessing Psychological First Aid (PFA) workshops.
For more information contact OurPHS@fraserhealth.ca.