What it is
Making room for what happens afterward
Critical Incident Stress Management is a structured crisis-intervention approach used following critical incidents. It provides structured early support following potentially traumatic events. It is not individual psychotherapy, an operational critique, an investigation, or a determination of who handled an incident correctly or incorrectly.
CISM is part of a continuum of support, not a replacement for therapy and not an assumption that everyone involved in a critical incident needs therapy. Individual therapy may be appropriate afterward for someone who needs additional support, but it is a separate service from the CISM intervention.