Critical Incident Training
by Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D.

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With the recent tragedy of September 11th, Critical Incident Training (CIT) is a must have for companies that rely on their most valuable asset - their human capital. Although many companies are re-emphasizing their safety procedures, such as evacuation plans and communication protocols, procedures to deal with the emotional effects of a tragedy need to be put in place as well. Companies need to help their people deal with the trauma in either a small group or, with the assistance of a licensed and professional psychotherapist, in an individual format. This is a service that is needed quickly and must be presented in a sensitive and skillful manner.

Who Should Seek CIT

A company`s CIT program needs to be open to all employees, including supervisors, line employees, managers, service staff and executives. This includes anyone who could benefit from a better understanding of their personal and professional ability to deal with a crisis. The class sizes should be limited to ensure maximum participation, and time also needs to be dedicated to dealing with any individual issues that may arise.

CIT workshops need to be designed to assist people in identifying how they feel about the tragedy. Their purpose is to help give a voice to company team member issues about the tragedy, while addressing classical and realistic solutions to their personal and professional questions. Everyone is feeling something about the recent tragedy and everyone wants to better understand what they and their co-workers are dealing with. People are also asking how they can be better prepared if anything similar should occur in the future.

Recognizing when Trauma Hits

The signs of trauma vary widely and may include people being distant, isolated, withdrawn, and avoid thoughts, feelings or conversations about the event. The signals of trauma may also manifest as frustrated, irrational, agitated, annoyed or angry. Staff members may want retribution against other cultures or ethnic groups, even though they may have worked with them for years. Team members may also appear to be distracted, confused or numbed by the situation.

Recurrent images (reinforced by the media) or recollections may appear. Recurring or distressing dreams may be present. People who have lived through similar trauma may have episodes of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Some individuals may use ìgallows humorî or act in a nonsensical or immature fashion to compensate for their stress. When all else fails, denial is a powerful defense mechanism. People simply cannot believe this has occurred, and those around them may find this behavior offensive.

Staff members need to become aware of recognizing their own triggers and behaviors as well of those of their co-workers. If companies want their people to maintain their previous productivity levels, they need to provide help for individuals and teams to talk about their emotions. The only way to deal with the issues is to talk about them and create ways for individuals and teams to integrate new behaviors necessary for dealing with this most difficult situation.

Identifying Anxiety, Depression and Grief

The signs of anxiety include rapid heart beat, clammy hands, nervousness, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, irritability, loss or increase of appetite, emotional instability, crying spells, sleep disorders, shaking, tremors, shortness of breath, feeling smothered, choking or dizziness. If you notice these symptoms in yourself or in co-workers take action sooner rather than later. Symptoms change shape and can become emotional killers if not dealt with.

The initial signs of depression can include symptoms such as feeling tearful, helpless, hopeless, withdrawn, irritable, agitated, or angry. Deeper symptoms can present as diminished interest or no pleasure in most activities, insomnia, hypersomnia (sleeping too much), fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt. If the silent anguish of depression is allowed to continue, individuals may experience loss of focus or concentration, indecisiveness, significant weight loss or gain, recurrent thoughts of death or even suicidal thoughts. Catching these symptoms in the early stages creates a much better prognosis for healing the problem.

After a significant crisis, every person and every company needs an adjustment period. Companies that donít make room for this psychological necessity find it more difficult to move ahead. Encourage and support your people to recognize and experience the loss, and recognize the grieving process. Grief includes five key stages (denial, bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance), that may come in any order except for acceptance, which is always the final stage. Guide your team through the process, giving them room for their feelings to be expressed. Make sure to do the same for yourself.

Taking Care of Co-Workers & Yourself

The best way to help those around you is to let them have their feelings about this event - donít try to change or fix them. Let them talk about whatever they need to talk about. When they are talking, donít interrupt, interject or interpret. Watching someone struggle with trauma is difficult and many of us naturally want to ìfixî the problem. In the case of psychic wounds that occur with this kind of incident, trying to console or ìband-aidî the person involved will only serve to lengthen the process. It is best to allow them the space to release any pent-up feelings.

Being a role model in this circumstance means taking care of yourself. Get back to your routines as soon as possible, be an example for others to follow. You also need to support others in getting professional help in the event that they may need it. If you choose to work with a professional therapist, be sure they have experience in dealing with trauma. Many people work with psychotherapists, and more and more companies are bringing them in on a part-time basis, while others have them as full-time staff.

How to Start Dealing with the Feelings

Some ways to help yourself and others include finding a person you can feel safe with and talk to about your feelings and whatís going on with you. If thatís too difficult right now, there are some effective alternative options including writing down your feelings in a journal. It is more effective to actually hand write, or print you words rather than type them into a computer. There is a different healing that takes place when pen hits paper.

That being said, some people would prefer going on-line and entering one of the myriad of chat rooms that have appeared to help individuals deal with the current crisis. E-mails or Instant Messages with friends and family can also provide some needed support.

For some people, drawing is another alternative method of releasing negative feelings. This method is also recommended for children, though adults seem to much more traumatized from the recent events than children have been. When dealing with children, do your best to not make a big deal about the crisis. Encourage your children to talk and share their feelings and insights, and when theyíre done, let them be done.

In Order to Begin

Start with an open discussion, interspersed with individual questions. Include practice exercises for stress reduction, and also detailed instruction on identifying symptoms. Provide participants with a documented account of their progress as well as checklist for symptom identification and methods for continued improvement.

It is recommended that you use a professional to facilitate your CIT, but if you can`t find a qualified person, or want to begin a CIT at your organization, the points mentioned above will get you started.