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Running a session?

AIR Leader's Guide

Office

Let's get started

  • Find a safe, quiet, and comfortable space for individuals to regroup. 

  • Remember, this is a voluntary gathering. Some people need time alone to use their own support networks. 

  • The goal of the session is to make sure that people are checking in with themselves (using the mental health continuum) and know what supports are available.

  • What is most important is for people to identify how they are doing so that they can decrease their emotional arousal.  

  •  This allows the person(s) to put events together as a series of memories.

Delivering AIR session?

Steps and scripts

1.

Acknowledge

  • Let’s take a moment to come back together 
  • Name what has happened
  • e.g. what happened today was unexpected and upsetting. Let’s take a moment to check in on how we are"
  • Remind everyone “There is no one way to feel or react. it's okay not to have big feelings, or to any type of feeling. How we are feeling or reacting could also change”

2.

Inform

  • Use the mental health check in scale
  • “What’s important is to try to observe or be aware of how you are doing. Using the mental health continuum see what colour you most identify with”
  • The goal is to have people be aware of their own emotions without experiencing them so deeply that it becomes distressing for them and creates and over aroused team.
  • Remind them to take care of themselves including coping and self-care strategies
  • “Think about the self-care strategies that have been effective for you, and that are possible to implement in the next week. They don’t have to be big or take a lot of time. The important part is to be checking in with yourself on a regular basis, and responding to your needs”
  • It is natural to have memories, including visual memories or thoughts about the event throughout the 4-6 weeks that follow the event, this is not Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is part of taking events and placing them in the sequence of what we have experienced. 

3.

Respond

  • “TOH has a number of resources, I will send you a follow up email with the that information”. (link to email)
  • It is important to connect with others with the buddy system. Plan to do a check in with each other or a leader could follow up with team members individually in the next two days
  • Remember that the emotions will be the most intense in the first 2-3 days after the event. Scheduling the check ins within this time frame allows people to mark the passage of time, which is important to begin the process of creating memories versus being stuck in reliving the event. 
      • As you finish AIR, check in with team members. For those who are still working, make sure they have had something to eat or drink and feel ready to resume their work. For those going home, check in to see if they have what they need to get home safely.

Therapy

Invitation sample

People working in health care settings require a special kind of support and this is why the TOH ABC model for Challenging Events was developed.

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You have passed through the initial period following a challenging event and are now entering Step C (Coping and Self Care). In this transition it may be helpful to connect to do a check-in, at your convenience, virtually or in person. This is meant to offer a safe space to review where you are at, how your needs can be met and what strategies may be helpful over the next 4 to 6 weeks. If needed, it is also ok to request that we meet again through that period. Please remember that if you are experiencing difficulties beyond this time, it may be important to consult with a healthcare provider.

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ADDITION FOR THE LEADER: It is important to acknowledge the extra weight that can come from supporting others. Make sure to that you are also taking care of yourself. If you are worried about yourself or staff that you are supporting please reach out to the TOH Wellness Program.

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