Have you taken advantage of CISM lately?

[abckidsmom]

In my career, not many calls have gotten inside my head and set up shop on the crazy shelf. I had one put me for a doozy this week.

It was a roller coaster night, and I started out tired, which didn't help at all. We had a baby not breathing which went really well, resuscitated him no problem, and on the way back from the hospital, got a call from another medic unit requesting a female provider for a girl who was raped.

This girl gave graphic details, was appropriately tearful and "Why me?" and just triggered all kinds of badness in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about her, I couldn't get on with my day when morning came, and I really needed to bounce the whole thing off an uninvolved third party, not my partners, because they did not get it at all.

I spoke with someone from here (THANK YOU!) and then when it was a decent hour, I spoke with our agency's CISM person. I am not sure what the difference is between "real" CISM and the casual conversation I had with her, but it was really helpful, and broke the cycle of spinning thoughts.

I have to say, it is really rare that a call bothers me to that degree, and I am so glad the system worked for me, because I was not getting back in control of my thoughts very easily.

It was very telling of our profession that the CISM person made a little joke: "Know what works for me in these situations? Liquor! Lots of it!"

I made it through with just a nap.

Do you have experience with CISM success? Failure?

I know I have intentionally skipped many CISDs, I felt that if the call wasn't bothering me, I was fine. I am glad that the process at my agency didn't involve the other people on the scene being forced to sit down and talk the situation out. That would have been a nightmare for me.

 

[shfd739]

Ive never dealt with CISM on my own but have been a part of a group CISD.

I felt the group thing was a waste of my time and my responses irritated the leader, which was fun. The more time I spend in this field the more it seems that group debriefs arent that useful as everyone processes and handles the stresses differently.

Looking back there were a few calls that I should have used CISM on but instead I thought I was young, invincible and could handle anything.

For our people anytime they respond to a call that might have potential to cause them a problem our on call CISM person will contact the crew, chat briefly about what happened and leave their number if they want to call back later. Our folks also dont hesitate to call our CISM contact if they need it; we can also refer them to EAP and a counselor very quickly if that is neccessary.

Most of the time it seems our CISM person's chats with the medic are just casual conversations- albeit it's after they are off duty and away from the station/office/unit which seems to help having that seperation. Our contact is a non-denominational chaplain and medic/firefighter himself. He also comes out and does ride alongs with our crews so the crews know there is an understanding and trust.

 

[mycrofft]

Are there any studies about CISM effectiveness? Are there standards for certification, and mandatory refreshers?

I grew up during the period when encounter sessions and all sorts of self-help books and self-proclaimed therapists and associations were all the rage. (Anyone remember "EST"? Asylomar?). Based on what I've read here, I think this sounds like a spotty thing dependent upon the individuals presenting it rather than the process qua process.