Resource Library
Articles
Books
Allen R. Kates, MFAW, BCECR, Holbrook Street Press (2008) ISBN# 0966850122
Nightmares, flashbacks, anger, concentration problems, emotional detachment, avoidance of people and places... These are some of the signs of PTSD. As many as one in three cops may suffer from PTSD, a condition that could lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, addictions, eating disorders as well as job and family conflict. CopShock prepares police officers for the aftermath of horrific trauma, helps families understand PTSD's effect on their loved ones, tells true stories of officers-men and women-with PTSD, and offers over 200 support sources.
Ellen Kirschman, Mark Kamena and Joel Fay, Guilford Press (2007) ISBN# 1462512658
Grounded in clinical research, extensive experience, and deep familiarity with police culture, this book offers highly practical guidance for psychotherapists and counselors. The authors vividly depict the pressures and challenges of police work and explain the impact that line-of-duty issues can have on officers and their loved ones. Numerous concrete examples and tips show how to build rapport with cops, use a range of effective intervention strategies, and avoid common missteps and misconceptions. Approaches to working with frequently encountered clinical problems--such as substance abuse, depression, trauma, and marital conflict--are discussed in detail.
Kevin M. Gilmartin, E-S Press (2002) ISBN# 0971725403
Addresses the dynamics that can transform within a matter of a few years, idealistic and committed law enforcement officers/employees into cynical, angry individuals who begin having difficulties in both the personal and professional aspects of their lives. It points out how law enforcement personnel develop a social perceptual set that can potentially see employees engaging in inappropriate behavior patterns and decision-making that leads to both administrative and can unfortunately in some personnel lead to criminal difficulties.
Ellen Kirschner, Guilford Press (2006) ISBN# 159385353X
Will police work change the person you love? Are police marriages destined to fail? What are the chances of your loved one being killed in the line of duty? Since its publication nearly a decade ago, I Love a Cop has earned high praise from family members and police departments worldwide for providing answers to these and other critical questions. Now, this trusted resource has been revised to address the realities of post-9/11, post-Katrina police work.
Ellen Kirschner, Guilford Press (2004) ISBN# 1593850638
Patterned on the outstanding success of I Love a Cop, this is the first book of its kind written exclusively for fire fighters and their families. Challenging two-dimensional stereotypes, Dr. Ellen Kirschman portrays fire fighters as they really are: complex men and women doing one of the world's toughest jobs and trying to fit comfortably into two families-the one at the firehouse and the one at home. I Love a Fire Fighter takes us on a journey from stationhouse banter to a four-alarm blaze and harrowing ride with paramedics on the midnight shift.
Bob Delaney with Dave Scheiber, Sourcebooks (2011) ISBN# 1402263554
Given the thousands of soldiers returning physically and emotionally crippled from America's wars, the latest from the authors of Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob proves especially timely. After serving undercover with the Mafia, Delaney (a former New Jersey state trooper) realized that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the stigma, misunderstanding, and shame he endured inspired him to educate others. Here, he offers therapy ideas that incorporate physiology and psychology, and introduces groups working to help soldiers and law enforcement officers (two groups with high numbers of PTSD sufferers) cope with, and overcome, their difficulties. Delaney wants to change the definition of PTSD and help people understand that it is not a sign of weakness, but rather a normal physiological response to untenable amounts of stress. With this change of attitude, people will hopefully feel more comfortable seeking help and lives may even be saved. Delaney and Scheiber successfully balance scientific fact with personal testimonial and write with an empathetic, engaging tone. Though the book will be compelling for readers with personal connections to the military or law enforcement, even the most skeptical will want to know what can be done on the individual and national level to help PTSD sufferers.
Videos & Audio
Audio
Joel Fay, Psy.D. The Commonwealth Club of California January 7, 2013 - Trauma and First Responders: An Insider's View of First Responder Culture
Videos
Helpful Links
Featured Web Link
The On-Site Academy is a non-profit residential treatment and training center for critical incident stress management. It serves first responders in distress. The program is for all law enforcement, fire service, EMS, or other human service personnel who are themselves temporarily overwhelmed by the stress of their jobs, what they have seen, and what they have been through.
Law Enforcement
Badge of Life - Psychological Survival for Police Officers
We are a group of active and retired police officers, medical professionals and surviving families of suicides from the United States and Canada. The cornerstone of our Badge of Life program is an entirely new approach to suicide prevention, called the "Emotional Self-Care Program" (ESC).
Bay Area Law Enforcement Assistance Fund (BALEAF)
Providing support and resources to law enforcement members and their families during times of death, serious injury, or catastrophic events.
Code 9 – Officer Needs Assistance
Those affiliated with Code 9 are developing and producing a documentary on law enforcement officers suffering from PTSD, to be released in the near future.
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS)
Each year, between 140 and 160 officers are killed in the line of duty and their families and co-workers are left to cope with the tragic loss. C.O.P.S. provides resources to help them rebuild their shattered lives. There is no membership fee to join C.O.P.S., for the price paid is already too high.
Post Incident Stress & Trauma in Law Enforcement (PISTLE)
PISTLE is a non-profit organization created by current and former law enforcement officers with the help of a mental health professional. Its purpose is to help officers cope with and recover from PTSD, and the stigma so often associated with officers who have experienced traumatic events.
Links for all First Responders and or Military Members
1st Help gives first responders easy, quick access to organizations that can assist them with a range of problems related to their jobs.
California Peer Support Association (CPSA)
The California Peer Support Association (CPSA), a professional and educational organization, is dedicated to the advancement, promotion and enhancement of peer support and peer support programs for law enforcement, fire and allied emergency service personnel.
Bob Delaney is a 20-plus year veteran National Basketball Association Referee. His professional sports experience, coupled with his former (14 year) law enforcement career, provides tremendous insight and life skills that will entertain and motivate your organization.
EMDR Institute (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
The mission of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. is to provide leadership, education, training, consultation, and support services in comprehensive crisis intervention and disaster behavioral health services to the emergency response professions, other organizations, and communities worldwide.
National Guard Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program"No one should embark on a deployment or see a loved one deploy without first knowing the benefits, resources, and contacts to navigate the deployment cycle." This is the philosophy of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, a legislatively mandated program that helps Service Members and their Families in the National Guard connect with their local support community before, during, and after deployments.
The On-Site Academy is a non-profit residential treatment and training center for critical incident stress management. It serves first responders in distress. The program is for all law enforcement, fire service, EMS, or other human service personnel who are themselves temporarily overwhelmed by the stress of their jobs, what they have seen, and what they have been through.
PeerSupportCentral.com was created for the sole purpose of providing resource information at the finger tips of Public Safety & Military professionals, along with advancing the field of peer support knowledge and methodology. This site is dedicated to our friends and colleagues who we lost along the way, and for those who survived life's traumas to grow and care for the care takers of the globe.
Safe Call Now is a resource for public safety employees to speak confidentially with officers, former law enforcement officers, public safety professionals and/or mental healthcare providers who are familiar with your line of work.
Fire
Firehouse.com is the firefighter's source for breaking news, podcasts, blogs, webcasts and information on firefighting, training, jobs
North American Firefighter Veteran Network
The North American Firefighter Veteran Network aims to provide essential resources f or current and former firefighters and their families. Devoting one’s life to this sort of service can lead to many psychological problems due to trauma and other difficult circumstances.
Corrections
Desert Waters Correctional Outreach
DWCO came into being to address the well-being of corrections staff. Corrections staff work in particularly challenging environments and are exposed to repeated high stress experiences, such as those involving violence, injury, and death. If not countered by effective health maintenance and coping strategies, the circumstances take a cumulative toll on health, functioning, and spirit over time.
Communications
The Foundation’s mission is to foster optimal health fueling resilience, peak performance, and a high quality of life (at work and at home) for our nation’s 9-1-1 Public Safety Telecommunicators (PST). These professionals are the Very First Responders when citizens seek emergency help. The foundation is pursuing strategic alliances with leading 9-1-1 organizations, 9-1-1 professionals, and other 9-1-1 subject matter experts, as well as culturally competent mental health professionals, by way of training, education, and support, in preparation for the emotional fallout expected from NextGen 9-1-1 (texting in to Comm Centers, livestreaming video, etc.)
National Emergency Number Association (NENA)
In 2013, a suggested standard for the management of acute, traumatic and chronic stress issues experienced by 9-1-1 professionals was developed by subject matter experts throughout the country. In preparation for the emotional fallout of NextGen 9-1-1, to include texting to 9-1-1 and live streaming videos in to Comm Centers, this standard suggests what agencies should do to prepare for and manage their 9-1-1 professional’s experiences before and after traumatic events, to include peer support, access to counseling, and evidence based trauma intervention techniques.
Chaplains
International Conference of Police Chaplains
The International Conference of Police Chaplains serves as a clearing house for helpful information pertinent to police chaplains.
Families
The purpose of this Web Site is to provide Law Enforcement families and under served law enforcement communities with essential psychological information and improved access to family support services.
PoliceWives is a national non profit group. Our website was established in 2002 for the support of LEO's and their families. We are a unique group consisting of women & men from all walks of life, who share a common bond of having a loved one in Law Enforcement. In addition to our extensive support forums, throughout the year our members take part in many activities designed to provide support to other site members as well as the Law Enforcement community as a whole.
Substance Abuse Treatment
Addiction Center is not a specific treatment facility, but rather a free web information guide that connects addicts and their families with the help they need to put their lives together.
Mountain Vista Farm - Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center
Mountain Vista Farm holds a special place in the history of alcohol and drug rehab in California and in the hearts of many recovering people. Originally “Truman’s Mountain Vista Farm,” the program is, as far as we can determine, the oldest addiction treatment facility of its type in Northern California. Over the years, “Truman’s” came to represent a place of safety, support and recovery.
Serenity Knolls - Residential Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program
Alcoholism and drug addiction result in pain and despair. The family at Serenity Knolls believes that there is always hope when there is willingness and determination to change. Our purpose is to guide and support our client’s sobriety and self-renewal — we are committed to helping others achieve this goal.
Web Link Submissions
FRSN welcomes submissions of web links relevant to first responder and families. Also, if you notice a web link is broken or inactive, please let us know. We appreciate your input. Use the contact us form to submit your links.