Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that DSWD social workers have conducted critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) to  the victims of the hostage crisis on August 23, at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

“Upon learning of the incident, the DSWD sent its social workers to the scene to provide CISD to the victims,” Secretary Soliman stated.

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is a process that prevents or limits the development of post-traumatic stress in people exposed to critical incidents.  Professionally conducted debriefings help people cope with, and recover from an incident's after effects.  CISD enables participants to understand that they are not alone in their reactions to a distressing event, and provides them with an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a controlled, safe environment.  CISD occurs within 24 to 72 hours of an incident.

A "critical incident" is any event that causes an unusually intense stress reaction.  The distress people experience after a critical incident limits their ability to cope, impairs their ability to adjust, and negatively impacts their lives, Secretary Soliman explained. 

During natural and human induced disasters, the DSWD immediately activates its Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to conduct counseling and CISD to the victims “to ease their tension, anger and other negative emotions, and help them cope with the aftermath of the tragedy,” Secretary Soliman expounded.  ### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service) August 26, 2010