One might think of the trauma membrane as an effective way of coping with trauma in the short term.  The difficulty may arise when the membrane does not perform a healing and protecting function but rather becomes a new barrier to a healthy emotional life.  Early intervention may facilitate earlier healing and interfere with the formation of the trauma membrane. Interested in reading more, try this article:  Exploring the Trauma Membrane Concept

I just spent three great days with a group of staff from the Canadian Mental Health Association in Waterloo.   As an instructor I learned lots from them and am looking forward to another session in the spring.

C.I.S.M. is a part of a multi-faceted approach to mental health in the workplace.  Courses will equip participants to competently provide their part of the overall program.  No component of C.I.S.M. is intended to be a stand-alone intervention.  Pre-incident education and follow-up contact with affected individuals after an event are both very important.

Like any tool if C.I.S.M. is used improperly or inappropriately harm could be caused to the recipients of the intervention.   One of the easiest misadventures will be to apply the wrong intervention at the wrong time or to the wrong people.   C.I.S.M. is an early intervention with techniques used in the hours and days following an emotionally straining event.   It is predicated on an assessment of need in the target population, not the event that took place.  Intervening too […]