Limit negative exposure caused by critical incidents in the workplace whilst ensuring care for the mental health of your managers and staff team.

The purpose of the debriefing is to take the active memories of the event and store them into long term memory.  After a traumatic event our minds work to bring “closure” to the incident.  Until closure is reached our minds continue to run a memory track of the event in hopes of making the incident make sense and be logical.  We continue to “turn over” the situation and review it until our minds feel satisfied that it “now makes sense.”  A major consequence of a traumatic event is that the person feels that order and control in their life has been lost.  The brain keeps turning over the sequence of events to regain order and control.

In a debriefing a trained person helps the individuals understand the event, their lack of ability to control situations and then to store the incident into long term memory.  Not all situations or persons need a debriefing, but for those persons who continue to not sleep, have anger issues emerge, or continue have difficulty in focusing attention a debriefing may prevent Post Traumatic Stress.

For an individual or group the gains from a Talent First debriefing program can include:

• Decreasing the company’s exposure
• The provision of an environment in which those affected can express their emotions.
• Decreasing the distressing symptoms and prevent onset of PTSD
• Increasing capacity for self-control
• A reduction in the focus of the event in the daily lives of survivors
• The providion of emotional support and enhanced group cohesion
• The reduction of self-blame
• The restoration of adaptive levels of trust
• The alleviatiation of disabling fears and anxieties caused by the trauma
• Preparation for physical and psychological symptoms that may follow
• The dissemination of information relating to stress, stress reactions and survival methods
• To assess individual coping skills & make referrals if necessary
• To identify and access additional resources or support systems
• To arrange for effective follow-up
• To obtain closure

For more information please contact a member of the Talent First Critical Incident Response team.