June 15, 2008
Louis Mallette, CISM Coordinator.
Foundation Conference recognizes CISM Coordinator
Story and photo by Carl Evans
The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) had a conference in Anchorage during April to provide Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) training. Participants included folks not only from Alaska, but also from the Lower 48.
Each ICISF conference team is tasked with selecting two people to receive recognition for their "outstanding" work in the field of CISM. Part of the criteria for this recognition is their desire and efforts to build their local teams by participating and providing training and showing leadership in team development.
This year one of the recipients of the ICISF award was Louis Mallette, MS, LPC, of YKHC's Behavioral Health Department. Louis is the coordinator of the area's CISM Team and has developed a network of responders from several communities incorporating behavioral health aides and local mental health providers, state troopers, nurses and clergy.
A CISM team is available to respond to communities that request their services following a traumatic event. With more than 48 villages off the road system, spread over an area the size of Oregon, the logistics of responding with a team can be a formidable challenge.
Chaplain Bert McQueen, an ICISF Trained Trainer from Anchorage, presented the award and said, "It is hard at times to keep up the interest of team members between incidents. Louis has taken the initiative and developed the CISM quiz program, a weekly email that challenges team members to review CISM protocols. By training the area's behavioral health aides in CISM, Louis has helped get CISM services in rural communities and interventions can be conducted in their Native language. Louis has helped develop a relevant, model CISM team program. Congratulations, Louis."
For more information about the CISM Program or to request a response to a critical incident, call Louis Mallette at 907-543-6093 or 1-800-478-3321 Ext. 6093
