Evan M. Peterson Professional Services
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"Every time we embrace our fear it loses some of its strength. Otherwise the blocks of fear will continue to be strong in the depths of our consciousness and continue to shape our behavior."
Thich Nhat Hahn
Reprinted from "Dharma Talks" by Thich Nhat Hanh with permission of Parallax Press, Berkeley, California.
It has been argued that Critical incident Stress Debriefing does not prevent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that grief groups and psychotherapy immediately following exposure to traumatic circumstances may actually do more harm than good. Evan Peterson agrees with these criticisms of debriefing. So why bother? Because he has witnessed a great deal of healing take place when the intervention is conducted properly.
The Reasons to Conduct a Debriefing are to :
* give participants tools for understanding when/if they need additional help
* express the employer's concern for their well being when work related
* focus participants on current circumstances rather than on the trauma
* educate participants about their responses
* assist participants in putting the trauma in perspective
* reduce the effect of these responses on everyday functioning
Evan Peterson is a seasoned debriefer of law enforcement,
first responders, and others exposed to trauma. He is a
certified American Red Cross Disaster Mental
Health Technician who believes that it is
better to conduct no debriefing at
all rather than do it poorly.