BPS Staff Complete Mental Health Aid Course
Uniformed and support staff of the Bermuda Police Service who are part of the Critical Incident Stress Management [CISM] peer support team recently completed a course in Mental Health First Aid.
A police spokesperson said, “A number of uniformed and support staff who are part of the Critical Incident Stress Management [CISM] peer support team of the Bermuda Police Service [BPS] recently completed a course in Mental Health First Aid, conducted by Dr. Cherita Rayner. This course teaches skills for providing initial help to people experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge.”
Mrs. Isis Wellman, CISM Clinical Director with the BPS, said, “CISM is a structured way of supporting people after they’ve been through a traumatic or highly stressful event. It gives individuals a safe, confidential and voluntary space to talk about what happened, express their feelings, understand common stress reactions, and if needed, be guided toward further support. This training will enhance the skills of our CISM peer support team in providing mental health care support for their colleagues who in the daily performance of their duties are faced with situations that take a significant toll on them both mentally and emotionally.”
The police spokesperson said, “CISM was first created to support military veterans and later adapted for first responders such as police, firefighters, paramedics, and disaster response teams.”
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