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Compassionate Support When It’s Needed Most
Compassionate Support When It’s Needed Most
A beloved staff member passes away.
A student dies unexpectedly.
A natural disaster disrupts the lives of families across a district.
In moments like these—whether deeply personal or felt across an entire school—communities need more than just a response. They need compassion, expertise, and coordinated support. That’s where the OCM BOCES Regional Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) comes in.
Our team quickly mobilizes to walk alongside districts in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, helping students, staff, and families feel supported, seen, and safe during some of their most vulnerable moments. Whether it’s a sudden loss, a traumatic event, or a community-wide disruption, our goal is to help school communities begin to process, recover, and heal—together.
Who We Are
Who We Are
The OCM BOCES CIT is a collaborative network of trained and dedicated professionals—including school social workers, psychologists, counselors, and community mental health partners—from across our 23 component districts. Each member brings a shared commitment to trauma-informed practices, emotional support, and restorative recovery planning.
TRAINING
Every member of our district CIT has received 5 day training in the Trauma Informed Grief (TIG) curriculum as well as Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).
Why Our Crisis Intervention Team is Trained in TIG and CISM?
Why Our Crisis Intervention Team is Trained in TIG and CISM?
In times of crisis, students, staff, and families deserve care that is not only immediate but also informed, compassionate, and sustainable. That’s why all members of our Regional Crisis Intervention Team are trained in both Trauma-Informed Grief (TIG) and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).
TIG (Trauma-Informed Grief) equips our team to respond with deep sensitivity to the unique needs of individuals grieving a sudden loss. Grounded in the latest research on trauma, child development, and resilience, this approach ensures we support grieving students and staff in ways that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and emotionally safe.
CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) prepares our team to stabilize and support individuals immediately after a traumatic event through structured protocols like defusing and debriefing. These practices are designed to reduce the risk of long-term emotional harm and foster collective healing.
Together, these two frameworks allow our team to:
✅ Create calm, safe spaces for emotional processing
✅ Recognize signs of trauma and grief across age groups
✅ Support school reintegration and community resilience
✅ Center equity, dignity, and choice in all interactions
We are proud to bring this dual lens to every crisis response, ensuring our schools and communities are not just supported—but genuinely cared for.
CIT TRAINING.pdfWhat We Do
What We Do
Our team provides responsive post-crisis support tailored to the unique needs of each situation, including:
🧠 Consultation and emotional observation
🤝 Individual and group counseling
🔄 Defusing and debriefing sessions
📈 Recovery planning and follow-up
🧰 Guidance documents, reintegration protocols, and communication tools
We also maintain a crisis resource hub for districts to access:
Staff- and family-facing templates
Grief and trauma support tools
Reintegration guidance for returning to school
Connection to regional mental health services
CITSupport (2).pdfPage updated
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