The Crisis Response

(CISM) Team:

General Guidelines for

Team Development

STEP 1: Identify the need for the crisis response (CISM) team. Based upon identified needs, a rationale for the team’s existence should both pragmatically and rhetorically emerge. STEP 2: Clearly state the goals of the crisis response team. Clearly state the constituency to be served by the team. STEP 3: Delineate guidelines for team membership and the specific roles to be performed. · Administrative structure · Dispatching functions · Response functions, listing mental health providers’ roles vis-à-vis the use of paraprofessionals (if applicable) · Clinical mental health oversight / supervision · Team member selection criteria STEP 4: Determine how the team will be legally constituted. STEP 5: Determine how the team will be funded. STEP 6: Obtain legal counsel to operationally define issues such as malpractice, standards of care, confidentiality, “good Samaritan” practices, necessary liability insurance coverage, etc. STEP 7: Determine what criteria and mechanisms will be used to activate the team. Determine what backup systems will be used in the case of a mass disaster or widespread communication failure. STEP 8: Determine what specific crisis intervention techniques will be used by the team (For example: defusing, CISD, individual crisis counseling, etc.) STEP 9: Determine what criteria and mechanisms will be used to deactivate the team. STEP 10: Stipulate guidelines and procedures for follow-up for team members after a crisis response. STEP 11: Make arrangements for ongoing “in-service” training. STEP 12: Create a clear, practical operating manual which contains policies and procedures and which addresses all of the aforementioned issues. *Excerpt from "Critical Incident Stress Management", Second Edition, Everly & Mitchell. Team Information Form: This is a fillable PDF document and may be filled out electronically, save and email the modified file back to teamreg@mcrainc.net. MCRA Team Membership Brochure - download here.