Trauma Response Teams

            As a retired police officer, I was involved in many incidents involving trauma.  Whether responding to a crisis or taking action during a crisis, law enforcement officers find themselves on the front lines during these emergencies.  Our agency used Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) teams to minimize the effects of trauma, and team members came from different divisions throughout our agency.

            I found the article by Mendanhall very interesting, and I appreciated his explanation of the interdisciplinary approach of the trauma-response teams (2006).  He points out the important role they play in the hours and days following the incident and they include professionals as well as laypersons involved in the communities they live.  He also explains the training provided by the Green Cross Foundation or the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) that these members go through (Mendanhall, 2006).  During responses to trauma, survivors do not care how qualified the professional is, the years of education, or the licenses or certifications the helping professionals hold.  Survivors are most interested in what the helpers can do to ease their suffering and help them during their times of hardship (Mendanhall, 2006).  While everyone has a role to fill in trauma response, the goal is the same.

            Counselor wellness during these times is particularly important.  The counselor is not able to help when they are suffering from compassion fatigue.  These incidents lend themselves to physical and mental fatigue and it is important that supervisors remember to monitor the counselors under their supervision and provide support to them as well (Mendanhall, 2006).  Cultural diversity is also important, as crisis response can take professionals to variety of locations.

            The nearest CERT team to me is provided by the Volusia County Emergency Management team and they can be contacted at 386.258.4088.

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Reference

Mendenhall, T. J. (2006). Trauma-response teams: Inherent challenges and practical strategies in interdisciplinary fieldwork. Families, systems, and health, 24(3), 357–362