5 Reasons to Attend CISM Training

May 20, 2020

Life is full of ups and downs. You and your coworkers will probably face challenging issues whether you work in a grocery store, a dentist’s office, a petrochemical plant, fight fires or fight crime. How will you get through these difficult times? Who do you talk to?

Having well-trained peers in place who are available to help their coworkers through these tough times can make the difference between losing a productive employee to unresolved issues or being part of a well-adjusted, emotionally healthy team. So, how can we get started helping one another?

5 Reasons to Attend CISM Training…

As I’m writing this, I’ve been made aware of two tragic events at one of our local chemical plants. A worker was killed last week in a head-on collision while off work and another worker collapsed and died of a heart attack on the job just last night. The mood at work is pretty somber, and their close friends are having a difficult time. This is serious. We’re talking about an already dangerous environment where turning the wrong valve or a few seconds of inattentiveness could cost many lives. Will any support be provided for them? I’m not sure. But if they had a peer support team in place with properly trained team members, those who are having a difficult time could be supported adequately and referred to a higher level of care if warranted.

Should you consider Critical Incident Stress Management training? Here are five reasons to attend CISM training.

You have a desire to be trained. – Come on, admit it. You probably wouldn’t consider trying something new if you weren’t interested. Because you’re reading this, it shows you at least have a growing desire to explore crisis intervention training. So, is it right for you? Let’s take a look at the following four reasons.
You want to help others. – Life can be tough. We all need a hand up every once in a while. You see others around you struggling to get beyond something difficult in their life, and you want to help. But you may not be sure how to help. What do you say? What should you not say? How do you constructively offer help? CISM training answers these questions and equips you with the tools to be a competent peer supporter.
You work in a stressful profession. – You’re probably waiting for me to list a bunch of dangerous, high-stress jobs, aren’t you? There are some that top the list. But in all fairness, just about every work environment can be stressful, and the possibility of a traumatic event is relatively high. Every year, millions of American workers report having been victims of workplace violence. In 2017, assaults resulted in 18,400 injuries and 458 fatalities, according to Injury Facts®. Specific industries, including healthcare, service providers, and education, are more prone to violence than others. Taxi drivers, for example, are more than 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than other workers, according to OSHA. CISM training addresses these events as well as workplace injuries, co-worker suicide, and natural death on the job.
This type of training aligns with your job/ministry responsibilities. – You’re a chaplain, mental health professional, supervisor, or have any other kind of job-related responsibility for your co-workers. If you fit into any of these categories, among others, CISM training is a perfect fit for you. This training equips you to help mitigate the impact of stressful events in others’ lives, facilitate normal coping and recovery processes, and restore individuals or groups to adaptive functioning.
You would like to implement a peer support team in your organization. – Developing a CISM peer support team requires adequate planning and preparation. This will include continued learning through structured training. Are you still unsure a CISM peer support team is the best fit for your organization? Learn how to help someone in your life. Attend training such as Assisting Individuals in Crisis or Group Crisis Intervention.

Your next step? Find a training near you and register for the class. I will post our scheduled CISM classes in the Upcoming Training section of this website. You can also check the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation Calendar for upcoming training in your area.