What is a Critical Incident?

Contact Dr. Nicholas on all Critical Incidences, which happen in your lives. Dr. Nicholas can provide professional debriefings to cope with the distressing events in life.  Contact Dr. Nicholas at 877 867 8556 Twenty-four hours - Seven days a week.   

A "critical incident" is any event that causes an unusually intense stress reaction.  The distress people experience after a critical incident limits their ability to cope, impairs their ability to adjust, and negatively impacts the work environment.  Examples of traumatic events that produce such reactions include:

• A coworker’s or student’s death or serious illness
• Suicide
• A violent or threatening incident in the work setting
• Natural or man-made disaster that affects the workers’ ability to function in the workplace

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is a process that prevents or limits the development of post-traumatic stress in people exposed to critical incidents.  Professionally conducted debriefings help people cope with, and recover from an incident's aftereffects.  CISD enables participants to understand that they are not alone in their reactions to a distressing event, and provides them with an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a controlled, safe environment.  Optimally, CISD occurs within 24 to 72 hours of an incident.