CISM Team Overview

Mission

The TEMS CISM team provides stress management interventions primarily to the emergency services community. The team provides CISM interventions — following the protocols of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation — before, during, and after critical incidents.

Vision

CISM concepts and stress management techniques are fully integrated in basic and continuing education for public safety emergency responders.  The emergency services community will commonly utilize stress management techniques and services of the CISM team to help prevent cumulative and post-incident stress.  The CISM team will provide a timely response to all requests for CISM services.

Core Values

These values drive our actions, behavior and performance:

Peer-Driven

We are a peer-driven team. Our team focuses on using peer crisis intervention providers. Our peer members are respected and credible.

Service

We are a volunteer organization and we are dedicated to serving those who serve.

Confidentiality

We keep confidences. All our interventions are completely confidential.

Life-Long Learning

We embrace life-long learning. We remain up-to-date with the latest information about crisis intervention. We use every intervention as a chance to get better with our crisis intervention skills.

Team services are confidential and free to the emergency services community. The team provides stress defusing’s, debriefings, one-on-one sessions, demobilizations, community briefings and educational programs based on the models and methods developed by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Any fire, EMS, law enforcement, dispatcher, ED staff member or any other public safety responder in the Tidewater EMS region can call for the CISM team. An on-call team member will respond back to the caller, discuss the situation and determine if and which type of CISM service is needed.

Are you experiencing stress reactions? Find out more from the Virginia Office of EMS Website CISM page.

Join the CISM Team

Would you like to help others in their time of crisis? Are you interested in joining the regional CISM Team or obtaining CISM training? Here are the steps to take:

Step 1: Complete 2-day basic Group Crisis Intervention CISM training (or 3-day combined Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention).

• Visit the Virginia CISM Website for course listings in Virginia.
• Find other free training provided by K-Love. Look for GRP or GRIN classes to meet the basic CISM requirement.
• Obtain training at locations throughout the country from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.
• Call our office (757) 963-0632 or send us a messageand we will place you on a list to contact when future training becomes available in the Tidewater area.

Step 2: Complete a CISM team application. Download, complete and submit the CISM Application Form.

Step 3: Successfully complete a CISM team interview.

That’s about it. The Tidewater CISM team entirely volunteers, with members from the mental health field and from the emergency services (law enforcement, EMS, fire and public safety communications) field. Team members must be willing to assist with defusings, debriefings and one-on-one sessions. Members should also be willing to provide general stress and CISM education to the emergency services community.

Urgent Requests

All urgent requests for Tidewater Critical Incident Stress Management services please call: 757-414-CISM or (757-414-2476)

Please do not contact team members directly as our dispatch center monitors team requests for reporting purposes.

For general Tidewater CISM Team information, questions or requests for stress management education please call: (757) 963-0632 (weekdays) or send a message on our contact page.