Santa Fe Psychotherapy & Consulting, LLC

We provide urgent, on-site services to corporations, agencies and employers affected by unexpected traumatic incidents affecting the workforce, such as suicides, deaths, hostage situations, etc.

What is a Critical Incident?

A "critical incident" is any event that causes an unusually intense stress reaction.  The distress people experience after a critical incident limits their ability to cope, impairs their ability to adjust, and negatively impacts the work environment.  Examples of traumatic events that produce such reactions include:

• A coworker’s or student’s death or serious illness
• A co-worker, student or family member suicide
• A violent or threatening incident in the work setting
• Natural or manmade disaster affecting the workers’ ability to function in the workplace 

Critical Incident Debriefing Services

Critical incident debriefing is a tool for prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder in people exposed to critical incidents.  Professionally conducted debriefings help people cope with, and recover from an incident's aftereffects.  CID enables participants to understand that they are not alone in their reactions to a distressing event, and provides them with an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a controlled, safe environment.  Optimally, CID occurs within 24 to 72 hours of an incident.

Violent incidents in the workplace should be reported in accordance with the employer’s policies and procedures.