SPECIAL OPERATIONS RESPONSE TEAM

121 Polo Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27050

Wellness Resources Team (WRT)

Building Resilience, Preparedness, and Support Through Critical Incident Stress Management

* Pre-Incident Education - * On Scene Support - * Crisis Intervention - * Consultation - * Follow up

Photo courtesy of Northwest Nazarene University

What is the Wellness Resources Team?

The Wellness Resources Team (WRT) of SORT is a multi-disciplinary team of volunteer caregivers comprised of professionals and peers who are specially trained to assist emergency service providers and other survivor-victims in our community in times of crisis. The WRT is interested in promoting a helpful response throughout the entire range of a crisis experience, including the pre-crisis, acute crisis and post-crisis phases. Wellness encompasses the needs of the whole person and is an interactive process of becoming aware of and practicing healthy choices to create a more successful and balanced lifestyle.  Therefore, the WRT is committed to helping those we serve lead healthy and balanced lifestyles through education, support, and referral resources.

·         Crisis intervention and on-scene support services to SORT members and other emergency responder personnel upon request, including family and significant others

·         Crisis intervention services to community organizations and groups who contact SORT for assistance

·         Pre-incident education

·         Stress management

·         Wellness and resiliency training

·         Chaplaincy services

·         Follow-up programs

·         Consultation for individuals, groups, and agencies

·         Referral network

·         Emergency service personnel (EMS, firefighters, law enforcement, hospital personnel, dispatchers) primarily in WS/FC but in surrounding counties as able.

·         Civilian groups within WS/FC (organizations, churches, schools, local government agencies, etc.)

 Critical incidents are events that occur outside the usual range of experiences which can impair a person's ability to cope and function. 

Examples may include but are not limited to:

·         Any serious threat to self or significant others

·         Sudden death by accident, suicide, or homicide of a significant other or peer

·         Mass casualty events

·         Extreme property destruction

·         Natural or human-induced disasters

Resulting stress reactions may appear immediately or their onset may be delayed. The signs and symptoms of a stress reaction may last a few days or for a more extended period depending on the severity of the traumatic event. Stress can also be cumulative after chronic exposure to trauma and result in compassion fatigue or burnout. While different people react in different ways based on temperament, coping abilities, degree of sensory exposure, proximity to the trauma, and other factors, some reactions suggest that a person is having difficulty coping with an incident. Occasionally, the traumatic event is so painful that professional assistance may be necessary. This does not imply craziness or weakness. It simply indicates that the CIS is too intense to manage without help.  With good social support, most individuals come through trauma without serious or persistent impairment of functioning.

CISM is a comprehensive system of interventions designed to prevent and/or mitigate the adverse psychological reactions (CIS) that may accompany exposure to a traumatic event. Possible consequences of untreated CIS may include deterioration in physical and psychological health, reduced performance, employee resignation and turnover, marriage and relationship breakdowns, and self-destructive behavior. Therefore, timely access to professional support enables survivor-victims of CIS to hasten normal healing and coping processes significantly.

(Note that these are typical reactions of normal people to abnormal events.)

                                                - Physical -

Fatigue - Nausea - Muscle tremors - * Chest pain - * Difficulty breathing

Rapid heart rate - Visual difficulties - Weakness - Headaches 

Elevated Blood Pressure - Fainting

                                              - Cognitive -

Confusion - Poor decision making - Nightmares - Heightened or lowered

alertness - Poor concentration - Hyper-vigilance - Poor problem solving  

Intrusive images 

                                             - Emotional -

Anxiety - Guilt - Grief - Denial - Shock - Fear - Uncertainty - Depression    

Feeling overwhelmed - Intense anger - Irritability - Agitation  

                                             - Behavioral -

Changes in communication - Changes in sleep habits - alcohol use 

Withdrawal - Loss or increase of appetite - Antisocial acts    

Nonspecific bodily complaints - Startle reflex intensified - Pacing

Erratic movements                                                 

                                              - Spiritual -

Major changes in one’s assumptive world - Hopelessness

Perplexing questions about faith & life’s meaning 

Difficulty putting the event in context - Sense of a foreshortened future       

 (*Definite indication of the need for medical evaluation!)

·        Human-induced trauma

·    Events with unusual sights, sounds, or smells

·    Large number of victims

·    Events which are life-threatening

·    Toxic exposures or health risks

·    Events which violate one’s sense of how the world is or should be

·    Death of children, teens, young parents, co-workers

·    Holiday disasters

·    Events drawing high media coverage

·    Serious injury or line-of-duty death for emergency service personnel

·    Knowing any survivor-victims in an incident

·        Make smart choices regarding nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

·        Reconnect with family members and friends.

·         Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable. You can’t change the incident but you can change how you respond to it.

·         Stick to healthy routines with realistic achievable goals.

·         Look for opportunities for self-discovery to enhance your faith and appreciation of life and relationships.

·         Nurture a positive view of self to build self-confidence.

·         Try to consider the stressful situation in a larger context and maintain a long term perspective.

·         Look for the redemptive outcomes in the crisis: community support, renewed relationships with family and co-workers that infuse hope.

·         Don’t use drugs or alcohol to numb the pain.

·         Don’t let others rush you to “getting over” your feelings.

·         Learn to accept support from others. Do talk to others who have experienced the loss.

·        Share your experiences with others you trust.

·         Expect anniversaries of the incident to trigger strong emotions.

How to Request the Wellness Resources Team Services

For emergencies

Call the 24-hour answering service

336-760-6700 or 911 (in Forsyth County)

 A WRT member will contact you as soon as possible to assess what crisis intervention or other support services may be needed and activate other team members if an intervention is recommended.

For non-emergencies

336-759-3924

email:  WRT@SORTTEAM.org

Including requests for general information about pre-incident education, consultation, WRT membership, or other inquiries.

The Wellness Resources Team is a Division of the Special Operations Team, Winston-Salem, NC and is affiliated with the North Carolina CISM Network. The WRT serves Winston-Salem, Forsyth County and the surrounding area by providing pre-incident education, on-scene response, and post-critical incident services.

Special Operations Response Team, SORT, and the SORT logo are Registered Trademarks ™ All Rights Reserved. All Website Contents are Copyright © 1998-2008