Ceri works with the Critical Incident Stress Management team to support health care workers who experience traumatic or critical incidents at work.
Registered nurse Clay Gillrie witnessed horrific injuries when he started working in a Texas trauma centre 34 years ago.
“You would take a deep breath, maybe step outside, and go back to work,” says Clay, who now manages the Emergency Department at Delta Hospital. “There was no support for health care workers back then.”
Thankfully, times have changed, and Fraser Health’s Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team is available 24/7 to support Clay and his colleagues when they experience distressing or overwhelming situations at work. New to the team is Ceri, an Operational Stress Intervention (OSI) dog. His role is to provide comfort, connection, and calm in high-stress environments.
“Ceri provides a way for staff to decompress after traumatic incidents,” says Shannon Walker, Ceri’s handler and a CISM client partner. “That in-the-moment physical interaction, where people pet and snuggle with Ceri and feel the softness of his fur, provides a break from repetitive stressful thoughts and can help kick-start their recovery.”
Interacting with dogs like Ceri is known to help reduce stress levels for workers in high-pressure environments such as health care.
“It doesn’t matter what time of day I see this fella, I’m able to forget about everything else, have a few minutes of solace, and reconnect with myself,” says Clay. “He’s a pretty amazing dog, and I feel peace when he’s around.”
Although Ceri’s primary role is to support Fraser Health staff, medical staff, and volunteers, he also brings smiles to patients and visitors.
Ceri’s placement with Shannon Walker and the CISM team was made possible through funding from Wounded Warriors Canada, in partnership with BC & Alberta Guide Dogs, which bred, raised and professionally trained Ceri for his role.
“Ceri was carefully selected and trained to support trauma-exposed professionals in the workplace,” says Mike Annan, Director of Service Dogs at BC & Alberta Guide Dogs. “We are proud to work in partnership with Wounded Warriors Canada and Fraser Health to provide Ceri as an important resource for the CISM team, supporting employee mental health and well-being.”
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