Local First Responders Cope With Trauma Through Peer Support

Local law enforcement entities and other first responders are no strangers to traumatic events.

While agencies don’t have the same programs or services to deal with the aftermath of those tragedies, coping mechanisms in general center largely on peer support and talking with others about the situation.

Shawnee County Sheriff Herman Jones in an interview this past week said a traumatic experience may trigger a loss of appetite or sleep to feelings of depression or guilt in first responders. Sometimes they may visualize an event repeatedly or wonder if they took appropriate measures or did everything they could.

Those are among the reasons the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office has a chaplain — to help deputies debrief and defuse from emotional events to avoid or calm those negative reactions. Herman Jones also is trained in peer support and said he makes himself available to his deputies.

http://cjonline.com/news/2014-03-16/local-first-responders-cope-trauma-through-peer-support