Author: Nick Arnett (Page 7 of 7)

I’m writing a review of a new Department of Justice report on mass casualty incidents, “Preparing for the Unimaginable,” based on lessons learned from Sandy Hook. It is all too timely, given the Orlando shootings. It is available on the NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) web site – http://www.nami.org/cops. Unfortunately, probably because of NAMI’s focus on families and individuals (none of NAMI’s executives or directors comes from public safety), the report recommendations related to crisis intervention are poor. They repeat CISM myths and recommend Psychological First Aid for law enforcement even though it was not designed for responders or groups.

It was helpful to be taking Jeff Mitchell’s CISM instructor class in the midst of writing the review. He guides instructors to understand how to answer critics with solid information. More to come.