Psychological Debriefing: what it is and what it is for

Self-care in the care professions is an essential requirement. If this does not occur, what is expected is that the workers end up burned out and exhausted from overexertion.

In those professions focused on crisis and emergency care, self-care becomes even more central if possible. When a psychologist, firefighter, police officer or doctor has experienced a highly impactful event in their working day, going home as if nothing had happened is not the best of ideas. Although it is their job, all these professionals are, above all, people. That is why their knowledge and experience do not immunize them against pain and suffering.

So, In this type of scenario, an intervention known as debriefing is usually carried out., which is precisely aimed at favoring the elaboration of what has been experienced by the professionals involved in the emergency situation.

In this article we will talk in detail about psychological debriefing, how it is carried out and what benefits it provides to the participants.

Stress in emergency professionals

Too often, emergency professionals are expected to act like true superheroes capable of taking it all. However, as we already anticipated a few lines above, above all they are human beings who feel and think. Thus, coming into contact with the pain of others can remove them and cause them emotional sequelae.

Due to all the demands that emergency care work poses, it is logical that professionals can show intense stress reactions.

Physiological symptoms associated with this response include fatigue, nausea, chills, or shortness of breath. On an emotional level, the person may be anxious, fearful, irritable, or in a state of shock. Added to this, other signs can also be identified such as difficulties to rest and stop and accelerated and high-pitched language.

Although stress is often spoken of in general terms, emergency professionals can experience different types of stress:

1. eustress

This type of stress is one that has a positive connotation. People we need moderate doses of stress to be able to move all our resources in highly demanding situations. For this reason, in emergency professionals this reaction is not only natural, but also necessary.

• Related article: "Positive stress or 'eustress': how to take advantage and get the positive part of stress"

2. dysfunctional stress

This type of stress is negative, and usually appears as a result of problems in the organization, logistics and communication of the team. The group fails in some of its dynamics and this generates additional problems that increase the stress of the professionals.

3. cumulative stress

This type of stress is related to the so-called Burnout Syndrome. The person feels overwhelmed by the demands of her job and lacks support to cope with the pressure. When the individual's resources are no longer sufficient to meet the demand, an emotional exhaustion appears that translates into exhaustion and the feeling of being burned out at work. This syndrome can be a big problem in care professions, since it not only demotivates the person, but also makes them more insensitive to the suffering of others.

4. Stress produced by a critical incident

This stress response is the one that derives from having intervened in an emergency or catastrophe. That is, it is the emotional reaction that arises after having carried out the work in a certain scenario. This type of stress is the focus on which the preventive technique of debriefing is focused.

What is psychological debriefing?

Psychological debriefing can be defined as a brief preventive intervention, which is implemented in the moments after having experienced a potentially traumatic event (an accident, a natural catastrophe…). Generally, it is carried out in the first 24-72 hours after the event, once it is already stabilized.

This is a strategy carried out at a group level, with about 8-12 participants, in which professionals involved in care and rescue work (firefighters, police, sanitary…). Ideally, all those who have served on the scene can be part of the group, since debriefing also helps foster team cohesion.

In the development of the debriefing, professionals can share their experiences and provide mutual support, since they have gone through a similar situation. The demands of this type of profession make it crucial to carry out interventions of this type, since allow to prevent psychological sequelae in the future, as well as preparing the team to deal with new emergencies later.

What makes debriefing effective is, among other things, the fact that it allows different professionals meet in a safe space, where they have the possibility of opening up and externalizing what they carry inside By doing this sharing, it is possible to obtain relief and ventilation.

It is important to note that the debriefing group should always be led by a psychology professional, who will coordinate the interventions of the members and the dynamics between them.

Mainly, debriefing is useful to prevent exposure to such harsh experiences from being a trigger for developing psychopathologies such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Discussing what has happened in a calm manner, the person can better integrate their experience and create a structured narrative of the event.

It is also key to note that debriefing is not a type of group psychotherapy, but rather a secondary prevention strategy. Although exposure to the potentially traumatic event has already occurred, action is sought early to prevent it from causing further damage to those involved.

• You may be interested in: "Emergency Psychology: what it is, characteristics and functions"

Debriefing phases

A debriefing group usually works following different phases or stages. Let's meet them:

1. emotional decompression

In this first phase, the coordinator will try to encourage the participants to express their emotions. It begins with open questions of the type "How do you feel?", so that the participants can ventilate what they carry inside.

By releasing emotions to the outside, in this phase the person manages to start moving on the cognitive plane beyond the emotional. Without correctly passing this stage, it will not be feasible to move towards the following ones.

• Related article: "Emotional management: 10 keys to master your emotions"

2. Description

In this second phase, the aim is to make a more objective description of what has happened, based on the contributions of all the participants. Finally, the account of what happened must have the approval of all those present, clearing up any doubts or inconsistencies.

3. Analysis

In the analysis phase, the psychologist coordinator of the group will try to help each participant to reflect through questions free of judgment about the reason for her way of acting. The person must do an introspection exercise to analyze what has led them to do some things and not others and try to improve possible errors in future emergencies.

• You may be interested in: "The main functions of the psychologist (and his role in society)"

4. Final phase and summary

When the previous phases have been successfully completed, it is time for the final summary. In this point, the person must conclude with a clear learning that can be used for their professional practice. Sometimes the participants draw a clear conclusion without the help of the coordinator, although at times the coordinator will have to help them to do so.

conclusions

In this article we have talked about debriefing, a psychological intervention technique that is implemented in teams of emergency professionals. The caring professions can be very rewarding, but they can also be extremely tough.

The objective of debriefing is to try to provide those involved in a potentially traumatic event with a space for emotional ventilation.. Thus, it seeks to prevent future psychopathological sequelae such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

It is important to keep in mind that debriefing is not a type of psychotherapy, but rather a secondary prevention strategy. It has a group format of 8-12 participants and should always be directed by a psychology professional.

Emergency professionals are subject to various sources of stress. Their work is highly demanding and this can cause wear and tear and burnout syndrome, not to mention psychological trauma. Therefore, the care of professionals is essential to maintain their mental health and allow them to be prepared to attend to the following emergencies.

By creating a space for common exchange, team members can order what they have experienced, elaborate on it, and build a coherent narrative of what happened. In addition, this type of dynamic favors team cohesion and improves its self-efficacy.