CISM - An ExtraMission of Salt & Light Partners
Extramission. It’s a concept I hadn’t thought of. Being “On Mission” is a buzzword with organizations right now. It means that your vision and purpose is set and guide your daily decisions. “Extramission” is defined as being sent out. This is another layer of goals and resources made available through an organization. It fits the mission but tends to stretch to a broader audience.
Salt & Light Partner’s mission is to provide emotional and spiritual support through workplace chaplaincy in our community. That mission has paved the way for us to provide chaplaincy services to Law Enforcement and Firefighters in Olmsted County. What an incredible mission that is! It is an honor to serve them and the people that they love. This mission has opened the doors to some new areas of service that we didn’t foresee when we began.
Our First Responders experience traumatic events DAILY. It is a part of their job description to show up when trauma occurs. As Chaplains, we enter the scene to support our first responders, their families, and the community they serve - most often on their worst day. The community at large isn’t as well versed in recovering from trauma as many of our first responders are. This is where our extramission support begins.
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is a structured crisis intervention that is utilized to support people who have experienced something traumatic. Our chaplains regularly find themselves in places of trauma providing triage counseling. From those interactions, we have received requests to come into local businesses and organizations to help them work through some of the recent events that have impacted them as a whole. Critical Incident Stress Management Diffusing or Debriefing can allow the employees of an organization to move past some of the feelings and emotions that have accompanied them going to work during that period. We know that our mental health is just as important as our physical health to the productivity of an organization.
Whether it is local snow plow drivers, staff at an apartment building, fitness instructors, or news media… they all experienced something very difficult. Salt & Light Partners considers it our extramission to stand beside our community and offer structured support using the CISM methodology. Our primary mission is not hindered by bringing emotional and spiritual support to community members as we serve our first responders. Rather, we believe this support enhances that mission as we allow our community to heal.
If you would like to know more about the work of Salt & Light Partners in our community, please visit our website, Facebook page, or sign up for our newsletter. We would love to hear from you and be your partner in our community working toward emotional and spiritual wellness.
