First Responder Peer Support: An Evidence-Informed Approach

Abstract

First responders may be exposed to intensely traumatic incidents, with the potential to result in adverse psychological and physiological reactions. Peer support programs have been employed to mitigate these potential effects. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) has been widely employed as a means of responding to emergency services’ stress responses. This incorporates the use of “Critical Incident Stress Debriefing” (CISD), a technique in which a facilitator helps the rescuer talk about their feelings regarding the incident. Inherent in CISD, psychological debriefing has been described as a brief crisis intervention usually administered within days of a traumatic event. Controversy has arisen over the use of psychological debriefing as a safe and effective tool for peer support. Organizations may be exposed to liability when offering “a practice that is not supported by the preponderance of the available scientific evidence.” Psychological First Aid has been described as an alternative modality, broadly endorsed by expert consensus, which can be readily learned and employed by peer support teams. “Listen, Protect, Connect” is an easy-to-remember means to summarize and approach the concept of Psychological First Aid.