Crisis Interventions
What is Psychological First Aid?
PTSD symptoms occur immediately after a traumatic event.
Myth - Symptoms could take months or years to appear.
What are some common emotional responses to trauma?
There are many emotional responses that people could have to trauma. This includes sadness, anger, confusion, grief, guilt.
What are some common traumatic events encountered by first responders?
Witnessing death, hearing about others’ trauma.
Using substances to numb the feelings and thoughts.
Unsafe - these behaviors can lead to dependency and emotional instability.
What is resilience training?
Anyone who experiences or witnesses a traumatic event can develop PTSD.
Fact
What are some common physical responses to trauma?
There are many common physical responses to trauma. These include stomache aches, headaches, nausea, fatigue.
How can trauma show up in colleagues and team members?
This can be displayed as irritability, anxiety, detachment, memory problems, hyper-vigilance, fatigue, chronic pain, withdrawal, and many more.
Engaging in some form of physical activity, such as walking, yoga, or stretching.
Safe
What are the five phases of disaster?
Initial, Heroic, Honeymoon, Disillusionment, Reconstruction
Everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD.
Myth - Traumatic events do not automatically lead to PTSD, and everyone reacts differently to trauma.
How would re-experiencing the trauma look like?
Re-experiencing the trauma may look like nightmares, dreams, distressing thoughts, or flashbacks.
According to SAMHSA, roughly ___ in ___ first responders experience PTSD.
1 in 3
Going on a drive when you are feeling really angry.
Unsafe - Intense emotions can impair judgment and can lead to high-risk behaviors.
Acute Stage, Intermediate Support, and Ongoing Support
Trauma has to happen to you directly.
What are some examples of avoiding the trauma?
Avoiding the trauma may look like using substances, avoiding activities, people, or places related to the trauma, or avoiding talking about the trauma.
What are some barriers that first responders may experience to receiving proper care for PTSD?
Some barriers include difficulty getting time off from work, cost of treatment, and stigma.
Using "safety behaviors" such as sitting by the exit, carrying lucky items, or only going to places where you feel safe.
Unsafe - while they can reduce anxiety temporarily, they can reinforce fear and avoidance over time.
What is coping ahead and how can one proactively prepare as a first responder?
Coping ahead is making a plan for a known future stressor or situation. This can include attending therapy, understanding the impact of the job, resilience building, peer support.
Trauma can stimulate strength and personal growth.
Fact
How can negative feelings or thoughts be presented after a trauma?
Negative feelings or thoughts may be presented as having strong negative beliefs about yourself, other people, or the world around you, or having loss of interest of activities you used to enjoy.
More than __ percent of first responders experience a traumatic events on the job.
80 percent
Often making jokes about the traumatic situation.
Unsafe - humor can be used as a coping skill, but in the long-run it can be used to deflect or avoid emotions.