Critical Incident Stress (CIS) in emergency workers and in victims of crises is widely held to be the possible precursor to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) if left unattended. Indeed, the symptoms for CIS and PTSD overlap in all category areas. Today, the commonly used treatment for trauma in emergency workers is Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). This system of interventions includes a debriefing session which facilitates people to fully remember the trauma events and their own reactions to it. CISM models were conceived and designed within and from a typically white, western viewpoint. However, one agency in Vancouver, First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS), provides CISM debriefing interventions and training to Native emergency workers and Native victims of crises. The purpose of this study was to document how Native participants perceived the CISM model as FNESS presented it and to understand whether the intervention was culturally meaningful for the First Nations participants in the CISM sessions. This study examined whether the mainstream CISM model, which is currently used by this agency, is culturally meaningful for populations of another culture receiving it. Narrative interviews were conducted with participants to determine their reactions to the session, their feelings regarding information presented, and their ability to make cultural meaning of the experience. Narrative analysis was used to determine themes across individuals. Theoretical implications of this research include addressing the gap in the literature of the subjective experiences of participants in CISM; no studies have used a purely qualitative methodology to study this topic. Also, this study looked at the important issue of the cross-cultural application of a mainstream intervention, particularly for a population with a history of complex traumas. Practical implications include providing information into the perceived effectiveness of the FNESS approach to a CISM framework and providing an opportunity for recipients' opinions to be heard.

Very little research has addressed the crisis communication strategies used in the aftermath of a workplace homicide. This study examined Indianapolis banks' crisis communication plans for workplace homicide by using St. John's (1997) Three-stage recommendations for crisis communication as a model and basis of comparison.The sample consisted of nine branch banks selected from the 1999 Ameritech Yellow Pages phone book. Six of the nine bank respondents completed a 26-question survey while the remaining three banks who answered "yes" to question #21 completed a 29-question survey. Individual and group agreement percentages between St. John and Indianapolis banks were calculated throughout the three stages.The results of this study revealed an overall group agreement of 59 percent. Internal versus external communication focus of Indianapolis banks impacted the overall group agreement. / Department of Journalism

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-75).

La mise en place de barrières de sécurité notamment par la standardisation de l’activité des opérateurs a permis au fil des ans d’améliorer significativement la sécurité des systèmes, tels que les installations nucléaires, qui peuvent aujourd’hui être qualifiés de systèmes « ultrasûrs ». La thèse défendue est que la sécurité de ces systèmes s’appuie à la fois sur ces barrières de sécurité mais aussi sur la compétence des opérateurs. Ainsi la sécurité aujourd’hui doit se penser comme l’articulation cohérente d’un ensemble de ressources normatives pour « maîtriser » les risques (la sécurité réglée) et d’un ensemble de ressources adaptatives pour permettre aux opérateurs de faire face à de potentielles situations imprévues (la sécurité gérée). Une étude empirique a été construite pour éclairer cette problématique. Elle met en œuvre des équipes supervisant des systèmes nucléaires similaires mais dans lesquels la place prescrite à l’opérateur dans la gestion de la sécurité n’est pas la même : sur l’un la sécurité normative prévaut ce qui implique la vision d’un opérateur conforme (sans quoi il est « défaillant »), sur l’autre la sécurité adaptative est développée considérant ainsi l’opérateur comme un acteur de la sécurité à part entière. Les résultats obtenus permettent d’identifier une gestion sûre des situations sur les deux systèmes, mais sur la base de comportements d’équipe très différents. Les comportements adaptatifs apparaissent dans les équipes « adaptatives » en cohérence avec l’organisation émergente du travail et avec les modalités formatives. Ces comportements adaptatifs se manifestent aussi dans les équipes « normatives » mais ne sont en revanche soutenus ni par l’organisation du travail ni par les modalités formatives, non constructives. Ces résultats sont discutés en termes de sécurité globale, de « l’agir en sécurité ». / The implementation of safety barriers – particularly through approaches based on the standardization of operator activity – has led, over the years, to significant improvements in the safety of systems such as nuclear power plants. Such systems can be considered today as ultra-safe systems. The thesis defended here posits that system safety lies both in these safety barriers and in the skills of the human operators involved. Safety should, therefore, be viewed as a combination of a consistent set of normative resources in order to control risks (regulated safety), and a set of adaptive resources enabling operators to cope with unexpected situations (adaptive safety). An empirical study was conducted to investigate this question. It focuses on teams supervising two nuclear systems that are similar, but where the role ascribed to the human operator regarding safety management varied. In the first system, normative safety predominates, leading to a vision of operators who must be compliant in order not to be viewed as “defective”. In the second system, adaptive safety is emphasized, and operators are viewed as full-fledged actors of system safety. The results show safe management of situations on both systems. However, this management is based on very different team behaviors. Adaptive behaviors appear in adaptive teams, supported both by the emergent team organization and by a specific training approach. Adaptive behaviors are also visible in normative teams. However, such behavior is at odds with team organization and with the training approach, which can be said to be non-constructive. The results are discussed in terms of global safety and of “safe action”.

Increasing violence in the work environment created a need for an effective intervention to debrief traumatised workers. The aim of this study is to compile a profile of an effective trauma debriefer that can be used as a criterion for the selection of trauma debriefers. The task description of the trauma debriefer is based on the literature studied. The profile of the trauma debriefer was compiled using the characteristics of a self-actualised person, as described by the Humanism, as well as the skills based on Ivey's Microskills Hierarchy Model. Structured, non-directive interviews were conducted with five experts on the training of trauma debriefers. A qualitative analysis was made of the interviews, based on the personality characteristics and skills identified in the literature. A profile of an effective trauma debriefer that can be used as criterion during the selection of trauma debriefers, was compiled. Conclusions and recommendations were made and limitations were identified. / Toenemende geweld in die werksomgewing het gelei tot 'n behoefte aan 'n koste- effektiewe intervensie vir die ontlonting van getraumatiseerde vverkers. Die doei van die navorsing is die samestelling van 'n profiel van 'n effektiewe traumaontlonter, ten einde die profiel as kriterium vir die keuring van traumaontlonters te gebruik. Die taakbeskrywing van 'n traumaontlonter, gebaseer op relevante literatuur, is opgestel. Die profiel van 'n effektiewe traumaontlonter is aan die hand van die persoonlikheidskenmerke van die selfaktualiserende persoon, soos vervat in die Humanism©, en die vaardighede, gebaseer op Ivey se Mikrovaardighede Hierargiese Model, saamgestel. Gerigte, nie-direktiewe onderhoude is met vyf kundiges op die gebied van opleiding van traumaontlonters, gevoer. Die onderhoude is kwalitatief ontleed aan die hand van die persoonlikheidskenmerke en vaardighede vanuit die literatuur. 'n Profiel, wat as kriterium vir die keuring van effektiewe traumaontlonters gebruik kan word, is saamgestel. Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings is gemaak en beperkinge is geidentifiseer. / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The purpose of this study is to tell the story of lay trauma counsellors - how the work they do affects them, what helps them to cope and what hinders their coping. The epistemological framework of this study is constructivism. This study involved in-depth interviews with three lay trauma counsellors from different cultural backgrounds who counselled for a minimum of one year. Hermeneutics was the method used to analyse the data. The stories of participants were recounted through the researcher’s lens in the form of specific themes that emerged for individual participants. Recurring themes evident in the stories of all three participants were discussed and compared with the literature. The information gleaned could be valuable to organisations considering setting up lay trauma programmes, to those with established programmes, as well as to prospective and experienced lay counsellors. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Certain individuals, such as police officers, are exposed to traumatic events as part of the occupational roles they fulfill. In order to prevent psychological illnesses; namely the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that results from work-related traumatic incidents, psychological interventions have been developed such as Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences and the perceptions of police members stationed at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Head Office in Pretoria, regarding the effectiveness of Trauma Debriefing within the SAPS environment. The researcher was motivated to choose this subject as a result of the challenges he faced while working as a Psychometrist and a Debriefer within the SAPS. Furthermore, the lack of research and literature studies concerning the effectiveness of trauma debriefing motivated the researcher to conduct the study. The qualitative approach was utilized in this study, and interviews were used to gather data about the experiences and perceptions of police members regarding the effectiveness of trauma debriefing. Utilizing an interview schedule, the researcher interviewed 10 respondents who were functional members of the SAPS. A systematic sampling method was used to select suitable respondents for the study. The type of research used was that of applied research, as the intention was to answer practical questions about the effectiveness of trauma debriefing within the SAPS. The exploratory design was utilized in this study, since there was limited information about the experiences and perceptions of police members in existence. The purpose of using this design was thus to explore the perceptions and experiences of police members regarding the effectiveness of trauma debriefing in order to provide new information about the topic. The researcher believes that this research will provoke some thought about new scientific research into this field of study. A discussion on the theoretical overview on trauma debriefing focused on the goals and theories of debriefing. In addition, a theoretical overview of the debriefing model adopted by the SAPS, the benefits of debriefing, the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and critical perspectives with regard to the effectiveness of trauma debriefing. The research findings indicated that trauma debriefing has been viewed and experienced by most respondents as good. Most police members perceived trauma debriefing as effective. Furthermore, police members perceived trauma debriefing as management=s support. The research findings however also indicated that trauma debriefing should be pro-active rather than reactive. Some respondents felt that debriefing should include an element of monitoring members, in order to check their progress. In addition, the study showed that there is a lack of follow-up services to debriefing cases attended. / Dissertation (MSoc.Sci (Employee Assistance Programme))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work / unrestricted

My purpose with the envisaged study was to determine the effect a critical incident have on employees and how their functioning, psychosocially and at work is affected. Furthermore the goal was to determine if the employees who was affected by a critical incident was exposed to Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) intervention, and if so did it have an impact on their functioning ( Psychosocial and work performance). An extended literature study was conducted to comprehend the meaning of trauma, the different facets of trauma, how it can impact on an emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioural level. The literature study further focused on the impact of a critical incident on the work performance and family life of the employee. Attention was given to the models in CISM intervention, the role of Employee assistance programs as well as the perceived outcomes of interventions the respondents were exposed to. In the study, data was collected in a qualitative as well as a quantitative manner. In the quantitative study two questionnaires were used as tool to collect information. In the qualitative study the researcher used clinical case notes as part of the document analysis as well as a semi structured interview with both the employee as well as the manager as data sources. Respondents (therapists) were selected according to the probability sampling procedure for the quantitative study and respondents volunteered to participate in the qualitative study after participating in the quantitative study. Participation in the study was voluntary and the participation rate in the quantitative study was 67.5% and in the qualitative study 22.22% It was evident from the study that employees were affected by a variety of critical incidents divergent in severity, circumstances and duration. The impact on each individual was unique and responses ranged in terms of severity. It was evident from the study that employees were affected by the critical incident and subsequently their work performance and psychosocial functioning was affected. The study managed to provide sufficient evidence on the impact of the critical incident on the psychosocial functioning and work performance of the employee. The research proved that individual counselling is effective in working through the incident and improving the psychosocial functioning and work performance significantly. The study also proved that intervention in the form of defusing, debriefing, individual counselling and aftercare is effective in addressing employees' reactions, supporting them to recover emotionally from the critical incident and improving their psychosocial functioning and subsequently their work performance. Conclusions and recommendations were made in terms of the empirical findings. The researcher hope that these conclusions and recommendations will be of value and contribute to the study field of CISM and EAP and have a positive impact on employees exposed to critical incidents and their recovery process. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Critical Incident Stress (CIS) in emergency workers and in victims of crises is widely held to be the possible precursor to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) if left unattended. Indeed, the symptoms for CIS and PTSD overlap in all category areas. Today, the commonly used treatment for trauma in emergency workers is Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). This system of interventions includes a debriefing session which facilitates people to fully remember the trauma events and their own reactions to it. CISM models were conceived and designed within and from a typically white, western viewpoint. However, one agency in Vancouver, First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS), provides CISM debriefing interventions and training to Native emergency workers and Native victims of crises. The purpose of this study was to document how Native participants perceived the CISM model as FNESS presented it and to understand whether the intervention was culturally meaningful for the First Nations participants in the CISM sessions. This study examined whether the mainstream CISM model, which is currently used by this agency, is culturally meaningful for populations of another culture receiving it. Narrative interviews were conducted with participants to determine their reactions to the session, their feelings regarding information presented, and their ability to make cultural meaning of the experience. Narrative analysis was used to determine themes across individuals. Theoretical implications of this research include addressing the gap in the literature of the subjective experiences of participants in CISM; no studies have used a purely qualitative methodology to study this topic. Also, this study looked at the important issue of the cross-cultural application of a mainstream intervention, particularly for a population with a history of complex traumas. Practical implications include providing information into the perceived effectiveness of the FNESS approach to a CISM framework and providing an opportunity for recipients' opinions to be heard. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Simulation training has been implemented at a small nursing school in the eastern United States to improve the currently low content exam scores in nursing courses. With the guidance of Kolb's experiential learning theory, differences in 8 course content exam scores were investigated for students who received simulation training in the content area before the exam and students who received simulation training after the exam, using a quasi-experimental, comparative design. Archival exam scores from 424 content exams, 212 completed by students who received simulation training before the exam and 212 completed by students who received simulation training after the exam, were used in a multivariate analysis of variance. The difference of the group means was not statistically significant (p = .69) for the pediatric assessment, meningitis, respiratory deviations, and gastrointestinal nursing content exams. However, there was a significant difference, F (4, 47) = 5.192, p = .00; λ = .694; η2 = .316, for the postpartum and neonatal assessment, preeclampsia, and cardiovascular nursing content exams. The results are split, which may be due to inconsistency in the conduct of simulation training across the 8 content areas. The varied outcomes led to the development of a white paper with policy and implementation recommendations for simulation training. Positive social change may occur in the planning of simulation training to promote consistency and best practices, enhancing students' ability to perform safely and competently at the patient's bedside and thus supporting improved patient outcomes.