‘We’re all humans’: Rogers’ Emotional Debrief teams offer sessions System-wide to support after critical incidents

Note: Emotional debrief sessions are available at any Rogers’ location and can be requested by emailing the team at Rogers-EmotionalDebreifingTeam@rogersbh.org. 

Emotional challenges can weigh you down – patients and mental health professionals alike. 

“It’s a fairly common experience for folks in the mental health field to think, ‘I should be able to just deal with this,’” says Sam Cares, PhD, psychologist. “But we know from the research that that’s not true, and professionals in this field need to be able to deal with vicarious trauma and challenging emotions just as much as anyone else.” 

“The work we do can lead to burnout, and when we don’t address vicarious trauma and those things that impact us as humans, it builds up,” says Jonna Pestka, manager of Social Services. “When that happens, we end up not being able to function well, because we’re carrying around too much emotional burden from the things we experience as part of the job.” 

When that emotional burden gets especially heavy, Rogers’ Emotional Debrief team can help lighten the load. The team, led by Jonna and made up of seven members including Dr. Cares, responds after emotional crises, meeting with team members across the System to offer confidential debriefings designed to help them cope.  

Location is not a barrier. These sessions can be done in-person or virtually, Jonna says, with equal effectiveness. 

The process is based on an approach called Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), which was developed to address stress from critical incidents experienced by emergency responders such as firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical services workers. 

Separate from an operational debrief, Rogers’ emotional debriefing sessions are designed for a group format, are completely confidential, and can be requested after incidents such as those involving aggression or suicide.  

“It really amounts to an emotionally charged situation where staff feel depleted,” Jonna says. “We talk about what happened and ask them to build the story. What did they see, hear, feel? We talk about first reactions and physical responses we have as a result of dealing with stress of that caliber. We also talk about coping strategies. How do we take care of ourselves? How do we help support one another and help build some cohesiveness to the group? We offer ways to help them move forward.” 

“This is really about the team’s emotional well-being, and there’s no space for assigning blame or responsibility,” Dr. Cares says. “It’s just a space to experience those emotions. Research shows the most effective part of treatment is just talking about what happened.” 

The team aims to set up debrief sessions between 24 and 48 hours after the incident and check in at five and 30 days. One-on-one debriefs are also available. Research indicates these debriefings greatly reduce the need for follow-ups, Jonna says. 

“Over the years, I have heard staff members say that it feels so good to know that Rogers cares and provides something like this as support,” she says. “They often say they’re very grateful for the team.” 

The emotional debrief sessions can also reduce stigma, Dr. Cares says, in part by showing people they’re not alone. 

“Part of the debrief process itself is normalizing the reactions that people have to challenging experiences, such as emotions including sadness, frustration, and anger or physical changes like a lack of sleep, motivation, or appetite,” Dr. Cares says. “The team and the process do a lot to normalize that experience for professionals and reduce the stigma.” 

When things get heavy, it’s easier to carry the burden together. 

“Giving yourself the one-hour space to talk about how this has affected you can make all the difference in your own personal coping going forward,” Jonna says. 

“It’s a reminder that we’re all humans with emotions,” Dr. Cares says. “We need support, care, and guidance just as much as anyone else.” 

How to request an emotional debrief session 

Emotional debrief sessions are available at any Rogers’ location and can be requested by emailing the team at Rogers-EmotionalDebreifingTeam@rogersbh.org. 

For ongoing support, Jonna also encourages team members to take advantage of their 12 free Lyra sessions.