I have been reading articles and attending conferences over the past few years on the topic of PTSD. I have occasionally sent off letters to those who have organized these conferences and written the articles, with the hope that perhaps one of them will consider my suggestion when it comes to getting help for sufferers of PTSD.
I was a pastor for 14 years and a missionary for 2 years. Since then my attention has turned to chaplaincy and working with those outside the church community. While I was a pastor, I was also a police chaplain for a few years. I did regular ride-alongs in Toronto and have had training in CISM, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills and dealing with Family & Work Violence. As a pastor I dealt with situations where a large family lost their home to fire and where a young child died when the father accidentally caused his death. As a chaplain with the police, I counselled a cop that several years earlier had been the first officer at a call where a fellow officer lay dying: he had never received counselling of any kind 7 years later.
This blog is not intended to point fingers at anyone but my hope is that someone who has the ability to make things happen, will seriously consider my thoughts.
First Responders deal with horrific scenes on a regular basis but the accumulation of these events, sometimes just one or two, are known to cause PTSD. I am not an expert on the subject so that is not the angle that I am writing from. My thoughts centre around those suffering from PTSD in silence, that are afraid to seek out help. The question that I am asking is simple: are the experts really doing everything they can to help?
Although things have gradually improved in upper management, there is still the battle that rages throughout the ranks of first responders. There is still a stigma attached despite the best efforts of organizations like Tema Conter: the lingering thought of how one will be perceived if they reveal a struggle with PTSD?
Most would agree that every and any tool should be used to help these men and women and yet there is a hesitation when it comes to the spiritual side of things. Psychologists and peer counselling are vital to the recovery process but how do we get these individuals to that stage? I believe the issue of confidentiality plays a huge role in this process but I also believe the Employee Assistance Program can't be the only resource being utilized. Having worked with cops, I know that there is still a distrust associated with most EAP's. It may very well be totally unfounded but it remains. In my opinion there needs to be a buffer or a conduit between the first responder and the professional help they need. This is where I believe chaplains need to be equipped to serve in a more meaningful way than is offered today in most Police, Fire and EMS stations.
Confidentiality is the basis of chaplaincy. The idea being that a first responder should be able to approach any chaplain with any issue they face in life, including PTSD, and not fear that management will find out. With EAP, that is not always a guarantee, at least in the eyes of those seeking help. Whether you agree with this assessment or not is not the point: if it is even a possibility, what is management doing to deal with it? What is the EAP doing to make it easier for those suffering from PTSD to come to them?
Let me put some meat on these bones that I have thrown out there. The role of a chaplain has often been more ceremonial than anything else. They pray at graduations and retirement parties and do the occasional ride-along. There may be one chaplain for a service of 500 men and women and then a few "multi-faith" chaplains that seldom build relationships and trust with those they "chaplain". However, what if these various services hired several chaplains for first responders. They can even be volunteer chaplains but men and women that would be given access to first responders on a daily basis. These chaplains would need to be better trained to identify PTSD but more importantly, they need to be chaplains and not preachers. It is about building trust so those suffering from PTSD or other issues, feel totally safe approaching the chaplain.
This is where the process begins but does not end.
It would be made very clear to all first responders that management will never be told individual names of those seeking help. Management would receive regular reports that indicate numbers only, but no names. This would alleviate two potential problems: the first responder will be directed to the EAP or other agency and management will have numbers to justify the continued assistance and confidentiality provided to first responders.
I believe this should be made available to past and present members of any service. We know that there are many men and women suffering from PTSD that have retired. They should obviously not be forgotten should they reach out for help.
Again, I am not an expert on PTSD but I do believe this is a tool that is not being used properly today. I hope that the right people read this and that action is taken.
