about us

The Ontario Critical Incident Stress Foundation was founded in 2004.

We are a non-profit,(registered with Internal Revenue Service in the State of California) open membership organization dedicated to the mitigation of disabling stress through the provision of:

Education, training and support services for all Emergency Services professions

Continuing education and training in Emergency Mental Health Services for Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers and Licensed Professional Counselors.

The consultation and establishment of Crisis and Disaster Response Programs for varied organizations and communities.

Founded in Ontario Canada we now have offices in both Canada and the United States of America.

What sets us apart from other CISM/CISD Organizations?

Standardization of training is one step in the maturation of an emerging and evolving field. Training has been provided in CISM, and numerous derivations, by various organizations throughout the world. Another step toward the maturation of an evolving field is the development of some form of verification of relevant knowledge acquisition. The term “certification” refers to the confirmation and attestation of certain characteristics, attributes, or knowledge possessed by an individual based upon some form of external review or analysis. The OCISF Certification in CISD represents an external review of knowledge of CISM/CISD. It is fitting that such certification arises from the very organization that gave rise to BST SYSTEM formulation and its use in CISM.

The OCISF Certification in CISD is more than confirmation of mere attendance at a training class. The OCISF Certification in CISD is a confirmation that an individual has demonstrated a basic understanding of the nature and principles of CISD, as defined herein. The certification is a confirmation of knowledge and practical and applied ability. It is a certification of applied competency.

We are the only organization in North America that is licensed to provides certification and designation of CCISD (Certified Critical Incident Stress Debriefer) and using the most up to date technology in the field of CISD/CISM including BST SYSTEMS

For mental health practitioner we also offer a program to attain the designation of (Board Certified Expert Critical Incident Stress Debriefing).

We strive to continue to be the world standard of information, education and practice in the field of CISM/CISD.