Como as técnicas de debriefing de incidentes críticos podem ser usadas nas escolas?

No one is immune apparently to critical incidents! The school has become such. Students display behavior that you wonder where the innocence has gone. The Innocence which should have taken them right through life, regardless of the mistakes. A critical incident is no respecter of a person, not at any age, that solution must be found for our troubled students. Effective communication is breaking down.

In order to apprehend the psychological mechanisms triggered during a Critical incident, people have to be aware that they do exist. For example, traumatic events related to Critical Incidents will trigger a "flee or flight" reflex for most people. This is due to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which releases an acute stress response when a threat is perceived. Other mechanisms such as the "bystander effect" are also mostly unknown but should be studied during debriefings. The bystander effect, (also known as the kitty Genovese effect), is a mechanism by which a person "freezes" during a Critical Incident potentially involving a life or death matter and is less likely to offer his help to a victim...

"Critical incidents are events that disrupt normal functioning and overwhelm coping resources. From tragedies to natural disasters, they can have lasting effects on mental health, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Understanding and addressing these incidents is vital for supporting students, staff, and families through difficult times.

Picture this: a lifeline thrown out in the stormy seas of trauma, that’s CISD. It is like emotional first aid designed to help one to navigate the turbulent aftermath of a traumatic event. CISD sessions are like group therapy, offered within 24 to72 hours post-incident. Imagine stepping into a supportive circle where you share your story—From recounting the heart-pounding moments to exploring the rollercoaster of emotions. But it isn’t just about talking; it’s about learning too. Participants receive a crash course in stress reactions, coping strategies, and where to find additional support. And as session ends, there’s a sense of relief and empowerment.

Brainspotting works very well with children and youth who need to separate the trauma from positive steps to healing; it avoids overly long narratives in a Group Setting; and educates the sufferer in ways to observe and detatch from frightening thoughts.

Lo fundamental tras un incidente crítico es ventilar las emociones, dejarlas salir y fluir en grupos de personas que comparten esos sentimientos de dolor. >Lo cierto es que cuando no bloqueamos nuestro dolor y nuestras emociones, la recuperación es mucho más rápida.

Critical incident may be of any type that disturb the mental health of students. Due to disturbance in mental health effects physically and emotionally.

The goals are always to make them realise the fact of the the incident. It's not easy to just explain to them as their emotional condition is not the same for everyone. Understanding their emotional condition, make them get back to their senses and then debrief them will create more positive impact.

One major goal of debriefing is the provide emotional stability by dealing with the acute stress that arose from the traumatic event/experience.

Debriefing in schools must yield a positive outcome. Where in the student's minds, in that space, that environment, in that compound, in that setting, a world within a world. Where the students believe that they are adults, doing adult things. Nothing to do with being mature, which they are not. A student might be older than another student, and thinks, oh! I'm a man, oh! I'm a woman, so allowing bullying, teenage pregnancy, and jealousy. And on top of that family issue, the lack of discipline is a cause. How to prevent a critical incident? By the knowledge of the history of a child. We noticed a prodigy, we must notice when a child displays anti-social behaviors via some history of said child as they go through the school system.

According to Evans et al. 2023“First, models focused upon learning include the REFLECT [Review the event, Encourage team participation, Focused feedback, Listen to each other, Emphasize key points, Communicate clearly, Transform the future, a scripted debriefing tool, TALK [Target, Analysis, Learning, Key Actions;], a framework for supportive dialog which can be facilitated by any individual within a team and PEARLS [The Promoting Excellence and Reflective Learning in Simulation ], a tool with scripted language to guide debriefing. These learning models of debriefing typically evaluate performance and patient outcomes and have very rarely considered the potential emotional consequences (e.g. providing potential to digest daily stressors).”

Critical is when it is no longer bearable. Where the incident in nature reaches a level that debriefing after a conclusion is ascertained. Scenario, gun violence. Debriefing, having law enforcement involved, and having strict laws to prevent guns from getting into past and present students' hands.

“ 1️⃣A central practice focus must be on debriefing, regardless of whether it is reported as an intervention, response to specific event, or daily practice. These can sometimes be referred to as briefings or huddles and are inclusive of day-to-day practices and one-off trauma-based interventions. 2️⃣A central sample or focus should be upon healthcare staff and/ or healthcare profession. These should be interpreted broadly. 3️⃣ The work should include a note of affective/emotional outcomes of debriefing. These should be interpreted broadly and can include mood, specific emotions and emotional states, coping, resilience, psychological health outcomes, wellbeing ratings and similar.” ( According to research done by Evans et al. 2023 )

Also, having a clear and detailed information on the incident is very important before embarking on debriefing. In addition, looking out for safety of both parties are key as well as ensuring adequate referral systems are in place for those that may need it urgently is also very necessary.

Be truthful. The debriefing is an aid in reconciliation, correction, and reproving, in bringing the critical incident to solvable. All parties involved benefit. The institutions, the students, and the families, to the preservation of lives.

That it may not work! That the blame might be more than the debriefing. In the case of a student being killed on the compound of the institution, the principal, teachers, or security did not do enough to mitigate the seriousness of the critical incident. Paying no attention to the red flags is a challenge to the debriefing.

Debriefing can be a first step, but it is not enough. For a Traumatic Incident, support needs to be tailored to each individual child - factors include, age, maturity, level of emotional health, cultural and linguistic differences. They may not come from a stable home life - where shame is already in place, and/or where secrets and lack of healing are the norm. Any support must not only trauma-informed and trained, but deeply sensitive to the entire child's experience, so as not to make things worse with empty good intentions and inadequate resources. Schools also need to be aware that a few initial interventions are probably not enough - ongoing care and support for months may be required.

1. Be a 'Safe Place': Psychological safety is the most important thing you can provide to someone who trusted you as a confidante. 2. Facial expression: A simple nod at the right time is enough for the validation people need from you. Any exaggerated facial expression can send a wrong message, a raised eyebrow, tight upper lip can unsettle the person. She/he might think you are not at all 'with' her version of story. 3. Paraphrase in a neutral tone so that you don't sound judgmental, and the other person feels heard & understood.

Debriefing can be preventative once applied. The dos and don'ts. The justice, the penalties that fix the critical incident, and the forgiveness. Which is the right step forward.