Critical Incident Debriefing

Learn how to help individuals or groups process and recover from a traumatic event or critical incident in a workplace context.

Critical incident debriefing is a structured process which can be used in response to events or incidents including natural disasters, workplace accidents, acts of violence, or other emotionally challenging events that can cause significant stress or trauma. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn practical strategies for facilitating critical incident debriefing in workplace settings.

What you’ll learn

At the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to:

• understand the concept of critical incident debriefing and how to manage barriers to the process
• recognise and categorise different types of critical incidents that may necessitate a debriefing session
• implement key steps and techniques for effectively facilitating a critical incident debriefing, including setting the tone, asking the right questions, and managing group dynamics
• apply basic principles of psychological first aid during a debriefing to support those affected by the incident
• promote reflective practice during debriefing, helping individuals and teams to process the incident and learn from it
• recognise when individuals may need further support beyond the debriefing and how to make appropriate referrals.

Who is this workshop for?

Anyone leading teams or managing staff in the workplace.

About the presenter

Lilia Szarski is a distinguished psychologist whose career spans nearly 30 years as a family report writer for the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. Her deep expertise encompasses family and child dispute resolution, court-ordered counselling, and child-inclusive practice. Lilia’s leadership acumen saw her provide clinical supervision to a team of trained mediators and psychologists, where she was also responsible for quality assurance and performance oversight. Her comprehensive knowledge and authoritative standing frequently led her to appear as an expert witness in numerous family law cases. Lilia maintains strong ties to her field as an active member of the Australian Psychological Society and several international psychological and family court associations.

Other information

Please note that you’ll need access to the following to participate in this workshop:

desktop or laptop computer
reliable internet connection
headphones recommended
microphone/speakers
webcam (built-in or external to your computer)

Contact us

Centre for Learning and Innovation
Phone: (03) 8573 2222
Email: ravtraining@rav.org.au