Mental Health First Responders Military Personnel (3,0,0) 3 credits
Course Schedule
Register via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlceGppjwvGdCMzgHUua6b-pUhBiB3k-Ys to receive course updates and attend live sessions
| Class | Topic(s) | Readings | Assignments / Remarks |
| April 7 | Introduction a. History of PTSD b. What is first responder mental health? How is it different from civilian mental health? c. What is trauma? What role does it play in first responder mental health? d. What is crisis, critical incident stress management, PTSI? | Emergency Responders: Tips for taking care of yourself https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/responders.asp Kleim, B., & Westphal, M. (2011). Mental health in first responders: A review and recommendation for prevention and intervention strategies. Traumatology, 17(4), 17-24. Link: https://bit.ly/3r5U4sK | |
| April 14 | First Responders (Police) Theory and Practice a. Hiring procedures b. Police personality c. Police culture i. Masculinity, the thin blue line, privilege, allyship, power dynamic (rank and file) | Bradford, B., Jackson, J., & Hough, M. (2013). Police legitimacy in action: Lessons for theory and practice. Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2236691 Law Enforcement Ethics . . .The Continuum of Compromise https://emotionalsurvival.com/law_enforcement_ethics.htm | |
| April 21 | First Responders’ Operational vs. Organizational Stressors | Organizational Stress More Dangerous than Occupational Stress for Public Safety Personnel https://open.spotify.com/episode/12LnvxeKBf6eweryFMPQ0Z Carleton, R. N., Afifi, T. O., Taillieu, T., Turner, S., Mason, J. E., Ricciardelli, R., … & Griffiths, C. T. (2020). Assessing the relative impact of diverse stressors among public safety personnel. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1234.Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/4/1234 | |
| April 28 | First Responders and Social Media Influence a. Defund movements b. Scrutiny and accountability c. Use of force d. IIU – internal investigations | Social Workers to the Rescue?: An Ur o the Rescue?: An Urgent Call for Emer gent Call for Emergency Response Reform https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2847&context=ulj Tucker, J. M., Bratina, M. P., & Caprio, B. (2022). Understanding the effect of news media and social media on first responders. Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An International Journal, 3(4), 106-137. Link: https://www.crisisjournal.org/article/33611.pdf | |
| May 5 | Trauma/Trauma Responses a. Lived experience b. Vicarious c. PTSI stories | First Responders: Behavioral Health Concerns, Emergency Response, and Trauma. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/dtac/supplementalresearchbulletin-firstresponders-may2018.pdf First responders, trauma & suicide https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/first-responders-trauma-intervention-suicide-prevention/ | |
| May 12 | Coping Strategy a. Mental health b. Addiction c. Suicide | Resource Guide for Coping with Secondhand Trauma https://socialworklicensemap.com/blog/coping-with-secondary-trauma/ Self-care & Maintaining Professional Boundaries https://www.pcsao.org/pdf/conference/PPTs/Self-care%20slides.pdf | Annotated bibliography |
| May 19 | Military/RCMP Presentations | Olson, M. D. (2018). Exploring military social work from a social justice perspective. International Social Work, 61(1), 119-129. Blackburn, D. (2016). Transitioning from military to civilian life: Examining the final step in a military career. Canadian Military Journal, 16(4), 53-61.Link: https://bit.ly/3Kfh148 Blackburn, D. (2015). Social Work in the Military~ Considering a Renewed Scope of Practice. Canadian Military Journal, 16(1), 34-43.Link: https://bit.ly/3j7NIVr Smith-MacDonald, L., VanderLaan, A., Kaneva, Z., Voth, M., Pike, A., Jones, C., & Bremault-Phillips, S. (2022). “Putting Down and Letting Go”: An Exploration of a Community-Based Trauma-Oriented Retreat Program for Military Personnel, Veterans, and RCMP. Trauma Care, 2(2), 95-113. Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-866X/2/2/9/pdf | |
| May 26 | Corrections/Dispatch (Telecommunications) Presentations | Cone, D. C., Galante, N., & MacMillan, D. S. (2008). Can emergency medical dispatch systems safely reduce first-responder call volume?. Prehospital emergency care, 12(4), 479-485. Kropczynski, J., Grace, R., Coche, J., Halse, S., Obeysekare, E., Montarnal, A., … & Tapia, A. (2018). Identifying actionable information on social media for emergency dispatch. Proceedings of the ISCRAM Asia Pacific, 11. Link: https://idl.iscram.org/files/jesskropczynski/2018/1672_JessKropczynski_etal2018.pdf | |
| June 2 | Fire/Paramedic Presentations | Crisis Intervention by Social Workers in Fire Departments: An Innovative Role for Social Workers https://www.jstor.org/stable/23718993 A Social Work Approach: Working with EMS Providers https://pdhtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Website-File-for-Working-with-EMS-providers.pdf | |
| June 9 | Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement – Dr. Gilmartin | Group Activity | |
| June 16 | Chaplaincy, Social Work and First Responders’ Mental Health | Police Social Work in Emergency Response Situations https://online.maryville.edu/blog/police-social-worker-emergency-response/ Police social work and community policing https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311886.2016.1212636 SRU social work students interning with local police departments https://www.sru.edu/news/092220b | |
| June 23 | Resiliency a. MHFA, ASIST b. Operating Mind (R2MR) c. Promotional initiatives d. Peer support e. Return to Work Programs f. CISM/CISD | Supporting Mental Health in First Responders: Recommended Practices. https://bcfirstrespondersmentalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Recommended-Practices-for-Supporting-Mental-Health-in-First-Responders-170615.pdf Mental Health Awareness: Self-Care for First Responders https://emond.ca/Store/Books/Mental-Health-Awareness-Self-Care-for-First-Respon Peer Support and Crisis-Focused Psychological Intervention Programs in Canadian First Responders: https://www.justiceandsafety.ca/rsu_docs/blue_paper_full_web_final_production_aug_16_2016.pdf | Research Paper |
Here are some resources we compiled to support first responders. Please let us know what type of resources you are interested and we will compile them for future classes:
MHFRMP Websites
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BLpRDwyAoJfPC-TI9fgYRhJVpUdVRr_7GCSoZ8G7X9s/edit?usp=sharing
MHFRMP Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
MHFRMP Youtube Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5F9cEOaCV8&list=PLBkb7GcuZ8m_gb7deDe396gjdwzLOUZQ3&ab_channel=CalSouthernPSYCHOLOGY
Facebook groups to support first responders: https://docs.google.com/document/d/147_isJvYCsP6JLZhU1F6H2-RzpURk0Q5U7v9gT83Wcw/edit?usp=sharing
Podcasts for first responders and their supporters.
Please feel free to add your favourite resources to the lists so we can build the resource database together
Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov 