You see what the general public does not
The tools don't matter when the heart is heavy
Police, Fire, and EMS workers face challenging scenarios that the general public will rarely experience just once, let alone with the shift after shift repetition they endure. Unfortunately, these skilled professionals often bottle up their feelings and are slow to build trust and openness with clinical counselors who may not fully understand their experiences. This is where effective emergency services counseling can play a crucial role.
Most local governments, combination, and volunteer providers portray a commitment to delivering the best care for their teams and the customers they serve. Take a moment to review your own website and social media posts. However, is your team truly prepared to handle the acute and chronic internal and external demands of stress and grief? Failing to address these issues can lead to early career burnout and the loss of invaluable employees and community advocates.
This highlights the urgency of understanding the “peer support” concept, which speaks the same language and has firsthand experience with the challenges faced by emergency workers. Peer support training can significantly ease the impact of grief when an unusual or rare event takes its toll on even the most seasoned professionals. So, what can an awareness training event achieve? Read on.
You: Are you part of the Command Staff, Middle management, Line officers, or entry-level team members? The mental baggage can accumulate quickly. You have a choice: you can bottle it up, vent it out, or learn to recognize and defuse these feelings before they become overwhelming. It’s impossible to help or lead your team effectively when you’re mentally gasping for air while staring at your reflection.
Your Team: Skilled managers and leaders are quick to notice when the team isn't cohesive, engaged, and performing at the high level we take pride in displaying with the patches on our uniforms. What does mental bargaining sound like? When do you reach out to EAP or clinical support? Is grieving a linear process or a cyclical one? The 21st century demands stability in mental health for first responders. Is your team rock solid and stable? Are you sure? Don’t wait until the next call, run, or incident takes a toll on the team.
Your Customers: Whether dealing with domestic issues, destruction, or defibrillation, your customers rely on you and your team to alleviate their pain and guide them back to normalcy. While some outcomes are not straightforward, you are the professional responsible for interpreting the customer’s needs after an assault, accident, fire, or medical tragedy. Do our words hurt more than help? Can we lead them toward a smoother recovery? Are we changing lives for the better or leaving them stranded?
Next Steps: A 60-minute ICISF-based advising session for your organization can, and will, have an immediate impact on your team’s words and actions. We steer clear of marketing harassment. When you’re ready to enhance the mental health for first responders and move forward, reach out.